Who Should the Jets Target in the First Round of the NFL Draft?

Despite there still being seven more weeks left in the 2018 NFL season, it is safe to say that the New York Jets can start focusing on next season. The future is still bright for Gang Green, being that they have their quarterback of the future in Sam Darnold, but now they need to build around him. The first step of that is the 2019 NFL Draft.

The Jets need to focus on protecting Darnold and need to improve their offensive line. There are a few offensive lineman that will be in the draft that could help the Jets, such as Jonah Williams from Alabama, however, he may be selected before the Jets are slated to pick, so the Jets may need to look elsewhere for O-Line help.

Another position where the Jets should look into drafting is defensive line. They need a guy up front, alongside Leonard Williams, who has struggled as of late, and luckily for the Jets, there are a lot of edge rushers in the draft, such as Nick Bosa from Ohio State and Clelin Ferrell from Clemson.

The Jets already have the makings of a solid defense, since they already have their secondary set, with Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye leading the way, as well as Darron Lee and Avery Williamson as middle linebackers. If the Jets can get a pass rusher to compliment their already developing defense, that will be a step in the right direction. I think they should look to draft one of these pass rushers early in the draft. They can still focus on offensive line later in the draft, which is a necessity for the Jets.

If the Jets can focus on the defense and O-Line in the 2019 draft, then they will be doing the right thing for their future. Darnold will have protection and the defense will improve.