The NFL Draft is one big risk assessment, and it’s nearly here once again.
Every April, teams have to decide not only which prospects they want, but how much they want them. If there’s one player they desire above all others, they could choose to trade up in the draft, which deprives you of future picks that could be used on other key pieces of the roster.
This year, the New York Jets have some interesting choices to make. They just signed Justin Fields to be their starting quarterback, so one wouldn’t immediately assume they’d be a candidate to move up, but what if there’s a potential difference-maker they don’t think they can get if they wait until pick number seven?
If there’s one player the Jets could zero in on, it might be Missouri tackle Armand Membou. The 22-year-old seems to be emerging as the consensus top tackle prospect in the draft, and the Jets will want to keep a clean pocket for Fields to properly assess him in year one.
On Thursday, Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame proposed a hypothetical swap in which the Jets would land the fifth-overall pick to select Membou, while the Jacksonville Jaguars would get picks number seven, 110, and 145 from New York.
“Last year, the Jets took care of left tackle with Olu Fashanu. Now, they take care of the right side,” Verderame wrote.
“Moving up two spots with Jacksonville, New York takes the most complete tackle prospect in the draft. Membou is an immediate plug-and-play starter to protect Justin Fields, while the Jaguars pick up a pair of top-150 picks.”
Membou, 22, is a 6-foot-3, 325-pound athletic tackle who garnered the third-highest Pro Football Focus grade (90.4) of any Power 4 offensive tackle, according to Missouri’s website.
The Jets have to decide first and foremost if Membou is the player they want. But if they do, and if they sense danger that he could be gone with the sixth pick, which is currently held by the Las Vegas Raiders, they’ll have an interesting choice to make.
