When it comes to the New York Jets, most NFL fans and observers are focused on what seems to be their impending trade for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
However, there is another pressing issue for the team: the 13th overall pick in this month’s NFL Draft.
That pick just may be high enough to yield a very good player, perhaps even a future Pro Bowler, and according to analyst Rich Cimini, ESPN’s NFL draft simulator shows that New York will most likely take offensive lineman Paris Johnson Jr.
🏈From the ESPN NFL draft simulator:
Most likely picks for #Jets at 13:
OT Paris Johnson, Jr. – 14% chance taken
EDGE Nolan Smith—12%
OT Broderick Jones—11.75%
WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba — 9.5%
RB Bijan Robinson—9.25%Based primarily on Scouts, Inc grades + expert mocks
—Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) April 12, 2023
Johnson, who played three seasons for the Ohio State Buckeyes, stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 313 pounds, and he helped lead the Buckeyes to the national championship game as a freshman, where they lost to the University of Alabama.
His athleticism has led to him becoming a strong prospect in this year’s draft class.
Having better pass protection would certainly help Rodgers, assuming he becomes a member of the Jets, as he is 39 years of age and perhaps not as mobile as he used to be.
Rodgers’ numbers went down somewhat in 2022, and some feel he isn’t perhaps the same player he was the previous two seasons when he won back-to-back league MVP awards.
But in New York, he would have the benefit of one of the NFL’s best defenses, as well as the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year in wide receiver Garrett Wilson.
In addition, the team brought in Allen Lazard, who had developed into one of Rodgers’ favorite targets in Green Bay over the last few years.
NEXT:
Fans React To Jets’ Reported Interest In DeAndre Hopkins
