The New York Jets lost the right to draft Trevor Lawrence by winning two of their final three games of the season, and now many are wondering what they will do with the No. 2 overall pick. While some consider Justin Fields to be the obvious choice, one longtime draft analyst is convinced the Ohio State star is not going to wind up in New York.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. said on “Get Up!” Tuesday morning that he believes the Jets are sticking with Sam Darnold. He predicts they will either draft Oregon star offensive tackle Penei Sewell with the second overall pick or trade the pick to a team like the Cincinnati Bengals, who pick at No. 5 and are in desperate need of offensive line help.
“The only quarterback that would have forced Sam Darnold to be traded was Trevor Lawrence, and Trevor’s going No. 1 to Jacksonville,” Kiper said. “No. 2 is not going to be Justin Fields, in my opinion. It’s going to be Penei Sewell or a trade.”
Kiper believes Darnold has shown enough to prove he can be a capable NFL starter even as the Jets have assembled poor rosters around him.
“He has shown when he’s been out there in enough games, last year and this year, to know he’s got a chance to be a really good starting quarterback in the NFL,” Kiper added. “If I’m the Jets, Sam’s the man.”
Time will tell if the Jets agree, but it would not exactly be a shock. Darnold is still just 23, and he has never really been put in a position to win.
Fields had a legendary performance in Ohio State’s upset win over Clemson. He finished the game 22/28 for 385 yards with six touchdowns despite taking a bone-crunching hit (video here) that left him with a rib injury. He could further boost his draft stock if he duplicates that against Alabama in the national title game, so a lot could still change between now and the draft.
You can hear Kiper’s full comments below:
.@MelKiperESPN believes that with the No. 2 pick the Jets will stick with Sam Darnold, pass over Justin Fields, and either draft Penei Sewell or make a trade. pic.twitter.com/EFScqGXyDD
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) January 5, 2021
