The New York Jets could dip into some rich NFL bloodlines to make a splash this offseason.
Longtime former NFL scout and current media personality, Daniel Jeremiah, predicted a blockbuster trade in his latest mock draft.
New York Jets receive: a 2024 first-round pick (No. 5 overall)
Los Angeles Chargers receive: a 2024 first-rounder (No. 10 overall) and a 2025 second-round draft choice
With that draft choice, Jeremiah projected the green and white to take former Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr.
“The Jets are all-in with a veteran quarterback and they recently acquired two offensive tackles to shore up the O-line. They desperately need another playmaker in the passing game to complement Garrett Wilson,” Jeremiah wrote in a column posted on Tuesday, March 19. “So they trade up to select Harrison, the top receiver in the draft and Wilson’s former Ohio State teammate.”
.@MoveTheSticks proposed a juicy trade in his latest mock draft: #Jets receive: No. 5 overall pick (Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr)#Chargers receive: No. 10 overall pick (Oregon State OL Taliese Fuaga) & a 2025 2nd rounder
He noted the connections between the front offices… pic.twitter.com/wBQay3ufKw
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) March 19, 2024
***NOTE*** This mock draft and podcast recording happened before the Jets signed veteran wide receiver Mike Williams to a one-year deal with a maximum value of $15 million.
The Rationale for a Major Jets Trade up in Round 1
The apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
Marvin Harrison Sr is one of the best wide receivers of all time and put up video game numbers with fellow Hall of Famer Peyton Manning with the Indianapolis Colts. MHJ followed in his father’s footsteps not only playing the game of football but specifically the wide receiver position.
Sr was listed at 6-foot flat and weighed in at 185 pounds. His son on the other hand measured in at the NFL Combine at 6-foot-3 and weighed in at 209 pounds. The food plan must have evolved at the Harrison residence over the last 20-plus years.
“Harrison comes from impressive NFL bloodlines and possesses similarities that made his father, Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, special. Harrison can run but isn’t a burner. What makes him tough to handle is his consistent play speed paired with quality salesmanship in his routes,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein explained. “He has the traits and tools to win in all three phases of the route and on all three levels of the field. He’s a pedigree prospect and a Day 1 starter with high-end production expected.”
The numbers he put up at Ohio State are ridiculous. Over his final two seasons, Harrison Jr recorded 144 catches for 2,474 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns.
Analyst Explains Why the Jets Would Consider This Big Move
Some might say with the signing of Williams a move of this magnitude would be unnecessary. However, the 29-year-old who will turn 30 during the 2024 season is only signed to a one-year deal.
There is no guarantee that he will stay with the green and white beyond this season and the Jets would immediately be back in the same position that they were at the beginning of this offseason seeking wide receiver help.
An argument could be made that now the Jets have filled its obvious roster holes that they can make an aggressive splash like this to go further all-in ahead of the 2024 campaign.
There is connective tissue between the Jets and Chargers. New LA general manager Joe Hortiz worked together with Jets GM Joe Douglas with the Baltimore Ravens from 2000 through 2014.
The Chargers also hired Douglas’ right-hand man, Chad Alexander, as the new assistant GM this offseason.
The NFL is a relationship business and there is a lot of that between these two franchises.
“Maybe you can say this is a house of cards with the age of these offensive linemen but this is a 40-year-old [and] they’re all in to win [a Super Bowl] in the next two years. So why not be bold,” Jeremiah openly asked on “The Move The Sticks Podcast.”
