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The New York Jets don’t boast a great history when taking a quarterback. Since 2000 they’ve drafted a quarterback three times in the first round, Chad Pennington, Mark Sanchez and Sam Darnold. But if you don’t succeed at first, try, try again! And they will, as they are all but a lock to draft Brigham Young product Zach Wilson with the second pick of the draft.
The Jets do have a lot of draft capital to go along with a lot of holes to fill. They need a running back and could address that need with their next first round pick at 23rd overall, but they also need help at cornerback, offensive line, defensive line, tight end and wide receiver. Waiting until pick 34 makes more sense for running back, but it may be tough to pass on one of the Top 2-3 backs.
For fantasy, the Jets are still going to live or die by a rookie quarterback, so we can’t expect too much. But, if they were to grab an offensive lineman and a top running back, there is a good chance that back would see a lot of work in an offense that has been influenced by Kyle Shanahan, as Robert Saleh was his defensive coordinator in San Francisco.
New York Jets 2021 Draft selections
No. 2: Zach Wilson, QB
No. 14 (via MIN): Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL
No. 34: Elijah Moore, WR
No. 107: Michael Carter, RB
No. 146: Jamien Sherwood, S
No. 175: Jason Pinnock, CB
No. 186: Hamsah Nasirildeen, S
No. 200: Brandin Echols, CB
No. 207: Jonathan Marshall, DT
Fantasy football impact
Zach Wilson
Zach Wilson can’t be any worse than Sam Darnold over the last three seasons, and the Jets should have a better supporting cast. He likely needs time to adjust to the NFL before we can expect much out of him for fantasy, but the potential is there for Wilson to get the Jets moving in the right direction.
Alijah Vera-Tucker
The Jets got their quarterback and now they add more protection up front to help in his transition to the NFL. You really can’t ask for better than that with their first two picks. As long as Wilson isn’t running for his life, the offense should take a step forward this year and that means more fantasy production from all involved.
Elijah Moore
Quarterback, offensive line and now wide receiver make for a strong start to this draft for the Jets. Moore is a first-round talent and should quickly become a great target for Wilson over the middle. We can’t expect big fantasy production to start, but he has the ability to be a 90-catch receiver.
Michael Carter
Carter has good speed and burst and should develop as a receiver at the next level. The Jets needed a running back with Tevin Coleman as the current No. 1. The duo of Coleman and Carter should be good enough, but they will hurt each other’s fantasy numbers. Carter could take over the job though, so there is upside there, especially with the Jets offensive line getting better in this draft.