Jets 2024 NFL Mock Draft Roundup: Brock Bowers becoming draft experts' consensus pick
We’re now less than a month away from the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 25 in Detroit, and it's a big one for the Jets.
New York finished the 2023 season with a 7-10 record after quarterback Aaron Rodgers went down with a season-ending injury in Week 1. The 40-year-old will look to lead Gang Green back to the playoffs for the first time since 2010, and could get some extra help depending on who GM Joe Douglas targets with the No. 10 overall pick.
After their recent additions to their offensive line, draft experts are nearly in lockstep on who the Jets will select.
Here’s a look at the Jets’ first-round selection in the latest mock drafts…
TE Brock Bowers, Georgia
Personally, I would take another offensive lineman because I do not trust two 33-year-old offensive linemen that have been unable to stay healthy recently to now do so. However, I also believe that New York has been positioning themselves all winter and spring to draft a pass catcher. The Jets are all in with Aaron Rodgers.
TE Brock Bowers, Georgia
The Jets have to go for it now, and that means finding more playmakers for QB Aaron Rodgers. The best tight end in the draft gets the call.
OT Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State
The Jets traded for right tackle Morgan Moses and signed left tackle Tyron Smith, in addition to left guard John Simpson, but we still like this pick. Injuries are a part of football, and no team understands that — particularly along the offensive line — better than the New York Jets.
Fuaga can play guard or tackle, and while this may be perceived as a waste of a top-10 pick, the Jets were probably planning to have a first-round selection in the 20s and to send a pick in the 50s to the Green Bay Packers as a part of the Aaron Rodgers trade. They should take advantage of Rodgers' unfortunate torn Achilles and be prepared to overcome any offensive line injury in 2024 with a high-end offensive line prospect waiting in the wings.
OT Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State
I'm not buying the Brock Bowers hype here despite what betting markets say, and I don't see them drafting a WR this high. The Jets invested in tackle Tyron Smith in free agency, and they could double down here.
TE Brock Bowers, Georgia
The Jets trade out of this spot or pivot to taking an offensive tackle. However, don’t be surprised if they were the team that lands on Georgia tight end Brock Bowers. He’s a versatile chess piece for an offense due to his athletic ability and run-after-the-catch skills. He’ll align anywhere and make things happen for a quarterback. I love the way he adjusts to the football. Aaron Rodgers would welcome this type of pass-catcher.
TE Brock Bowers, Georgia
I think the smart decision for the Jets, both for this all-in season and the future, would be to add one of the talented offensive line prospects in this draft and give themselves the double-whammy of a potential strong starter and actual depth at a position where it’s been needed for so long.
That’s the smart decision. But Bowers is the fun decision, and after signing a handful of offensive line free agents this offseason, in this scenario the Jets decide to keep juicing up their passing attack and give Aaron Rodgers a souped-up version of Jermichael Finley. I recently wrote about how Bowers is an offensive weapon and not just a tight end, and with the top three wide receivers off the board, Bowers can work with Garrett Wilson to create matchup advantages, with Mike Williams as the isolated X receiver and Tyler Conklin and Jeremy Ruckert available to do the dirty work required of typical tight ends. Bowers would be an exciting piece to help the Jets try and push their contendership over the top.
