Gang Green will head to next week’s NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis needing help at both tackle positions.
The good news is there are a few tackles early in the first round who can help the Jets solve at least one of their issues at pick No. 10.
“They’re all different flavors and they’re all really talented,” NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said about the tackles on a conference call Thursday.
“When you look at that top group of guys, you talk about [Joe] Alt, [Olu] Fashanu, [Taliese] Fuaga, [JC] Latham, those are pretty unanimous in whatever order you have them. Those are kind of the top four guys.
“I don’t think Alt will be there because he’s the cleanest of the bunch. He’s huge, he’s long, he just keeps getting better and he doesn’t get beat. He is not the most dynamic athlete, he is not an elite bender, but he doesn’t get beat and plays with outstanding awareness.”
The Jets’ offensive line has been a source of their problems, especially in the last two seasons. In 2022, 11 different players started games on the Jets offensive line.
It was an even more dire situation for the Jets in 2023. They had 14 different offensive line combinations in 17 games, which led the NFL. Duane Brown and Mekhi Becton, who were the starting tackles to begin last season, are not likely to return after each will become free agents on March 13, the start of the new league year.
Notre Dame’s Alt is by far the best tackle prospect available in the 2024 NFL Draft, which will be held in Detroit on April 25–27. Alt has everything a team would want in an offensive lineman. He has excellent size at 6-8 and 322 pounds, and has tremendous quickness along with precise footwork.
The bad news for the Jets is that Alt likely won’t slide down past No. 7, where the Titans will select. That means the Jets will probably have to settle for the second or third-best tackle in this year’s class.
Penn State’s Fashanu would be the ideal pick for the Jets because he could play both right and left tackle at the NFL level. Fashanu, 21, is an elite athlete with good snap and quickness coming out of his stance. He also has the strength and speed in pass protection to keep pass rushers in front of him consistently.
“The Ohio State game this year was kind of one people will point to where he got into some trouble, and his eyes were kind of in the wrong place,” Jeremiah said about Fashanu. “As a whole, his tape is pretty solid and he will be plug and play, he can play on the left and he can play on the right.”
If Fashanu is gone, Oregon State’s Fuaga is a player the Jets are already familiar with. Last month, Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was the Senior Bowl National Team coach, which Fuaga played on.
Fuaga barely lost any reps down in Mobile after demonstrating excellent protection in both run and pass blocking. At 6-5 and 332 pounds, Fuaga is strictly a right tackle but has the skills to play guard in the NFL if needed.
“Fuaga is a really, really clean player for me,” Jeremiah said. “He has played on the right side and I don’t see why you would want to move him. I think he is plug-and-play at right tackle.
“Just really consistent, quick feet, pretty explosive and dynamic when he gets into guys. He has some nasty to him and plays with a good temperament.
“That to me, he is a plug-and-play and he has a home at right tackle. I have him as the second lineman on my list.”
Many have also mentioned the Jets could potentially target a wide receiver at No. 10. They’re looking for weapons to compliment both Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, who both shouldered a lot on a Jets offense that finished 31st in yards (268.6) and 29th in points allowed (15.8).
Waiting to select a wide receiver on Day 2 of the draft is the more likely scenario for the Jets, considering the offensive line is their number one need this offseason with Aaron Rodgers, 40, returning from an Achilles tear.
“I know one thing, if you can get the tackle, I feel a lot better about the third-round wideouts than I do about the third-round tackles,” Jeremiah said. “I would lean more in that tackle direction early because, in the third round, you have some interesting guys.
“Malachi Corley from Western Kentucky has big-time juice, big-time run after the catch, he is a total stud. You got Roman Wilson from Michigan, who can fly. Ricky Pearsall from Florida is a really loose, fluid, excellent route runner and got some insane catches. He might have the catch of the year against Charlotte, that play was ridiculous. Real quick, real fast, can make some things happen after the catch.
“There’s a bunch of wide receivers every year we do this, it is a really intriguing mix of wideouts. In the tackle, wideout discussion, if it’s close, you go tackle early.”
