The New York Jets never considered taking Deshaun Watson with the No. 6 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, but at least some within the organization reportedly wanted to acquire an additional first-round pick to have a shot at the former Clemson star.
A day after Watson nearly led the Houston Texans to a road win over the Seattle Seahawks, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News wrote that there were some in the Jets’ front office who proposed trading back into the first round for a chance to get Watson. The Jets selected safety Jamal Adams — who is having a fantastic rookie season — at No. 6, and the Texans traded up from No. 25 to No. 12 to get Watson. That means New York would have had to acquire an additional high first-round pick to get both Adams and Watson.
According to Mehta, some Jets officials mentioned the possibility of packaging Muhammad Wilkerson and a 2018 first-round pick to acquire an additional first-round pick in 2017. The Jets never made a formal offer, and it’s highly unlikely that the Cleveland Browns, who made the trade with Houston, would have wanted to take on Wilkerson’s $17 million salary. Most other teams who had a pick between No. 6 and No. 12 likely would have passed, too.
While the sample size isn’t huge, Watson looks like he has the potential to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. He has had some issues with turnovers like any rookie would, but he has shown the ability to make pro-level passes and does not seem intimidated of above-average defenses. Scoring 38 points on the road at Seattle is about as big of a statement as a rookie QB can make.
We have already heard stories about one other team kicking itself over not drafting Watson, and there are likely to be plenty more.
