Expects give New York Jets solid 2024 NFL Draft grades

The Jets picked seven players.

Immediate grades for the NFL Draft are always stupid…unless they praise the Jets.

Let’s see how smart some of the most prominent graders are after the 2024 NFL Draft.

Pro Football Focus: A

Fashanu — The Jets offensive line has been a weak point for the last few years. Even though they brought in veteran tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses to strengthen it, bringing in talented depth and getting a succession plan in place makes a lot of sense. Fashanu ranked in the 93rd percentile among qualifying college tackles in pass-blocking grade on true pass sets over the last two seasons.

Corley — The Jets trade up to grab one of the more unique wide receivers in this draft class. As a former running back, he is phenomenal with the ball in his hands. Last season, his 683 yards after the catch was good for second among all receivers in this draft class. He forced 63 missed tackles on 253 receptions over the past three seasons, so he adds another layer to Aaron Rodgers’ passing attack.

Allen — Allen burst onto the college football scene in 2021 and has been one of the best running backs in college football in each of the last three seasons. Only 20 years old, Allen is built like a truck. A valuable asset that he possesses is his ability to finish games — his 409 yards after contact in the second half of games ranked 13th in the FBS in 2023. He is more than capable of making plays in the screen game, but do not expect him to be utilized much outside of the backfield in regards to targets from the slot or out wide.

Travis — After trading away former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson, the Jets opt for Travis to fill the void. The Florida State standout totaled 46 big-time throws over the past two seasons, second among ACC quarterbacks, earning an impressive 91.8 PFF grade in the span.

Davis — The FCS standout played well above his level of competition in his time at South Dakota State. Davis stood atop the draft class in a number of PFF facet grades. Since 2022, his 151 missed tackles forced helped contribute to his phenomenal 96.8 PFF rushing grade this past season, the highest among all running backs.

Stiggers — The hugely talented CFL standout makes his way to the top level after a fantastic 2023 north of the border. Stiggers totaled an 85.0 coverage grade in the CFL this past season, where he forced an incompletion on 12.5% of his coverage snaps while also hauling in five interceptions. He also allowed just 0.95 yards per coverage snap.

Key — Jaylen Key recorded a 69.1 PFF grade in 2023, 161st among FBS cornerbacks. He allowed only 13 catches and 145 receiving yards in 2023. Key was not the sought-after prospect his teammates Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry were, but he’s a serviceable corner.

Mel Kiper, Jr. (ESPN): B

Top needs entering the draft: Wide receiver, offensive tackle, safety

Round 1 was always going to be a delicate balance for Jets GM Joe Douglas, who had to balance his team’s short-term championship window alongside 40-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers with the long-term vision of building a sustainable contender. He needed to add a player who could be a star both now and later, someone who could make a significant contribution as a rookie. That’s why I thought offensive tackle might be a tough sell to Rodgers — and to fans — at No. 10. New York added Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses in March to man those spots in 2024, and a rookie might have to be the swing tackle or move inside to guard for a year.

Instead, Douglas stuck to his board and got his guy with Olu Fashanu (11), a prototypical left tackle who can be Smith’s replacement in 2025. It wasn’t the flashiest pick, but if Fashanu can hit his ceiling, he could be a stellar player at a premium position for a decade.

Malachi Corley (65) had 29 receiving touchdowns over the past three seasons and makes cornerbacks look silly after the catch. The Jets took two running backs in Braelon Allen (134) and Isaiah Davis (173), who will duke it out to be Breece Hall’s backup. Allen is my fifth-ranked back in the class, while Davis lands at No. 10.

Qwan’tez Stiggers (176) is one of the most fascinating picks in the entire draft. He became the third player in the common draft era (since 1967) to be selected without attending college and the first CFL player with no college experience to be drafted. And he can play, too. Quarterback Jordan Travis (171) was tremendously productive at Florida State. Could he be stashed as the Jets’ third QB behind Tyrod Taylor this season?

Douglas also executed several trades throughout the weekend, maneuvering up and down the board, including a deal for the Lions’ 2025 third-rounder. Corley might be the most important pick of this class in the short term, as I could see him having a role in 2024. Douglas did a nice job getting value throughout.

Pete Prisco (CBS Sports): B-

Best Pick: Third-round receiver Malachi Corley will come in and immediately help the passing game. He is a strong player after the catch. Aaron Rodgers had to be happy with that pick.

Worst Pick: I didn’t like using the fourth-round pick on running back Braelon Allen. They have Breece Hall and could have used it on maybe a tight end or an offensive lineman. They also took a back later in the draft.

The Skinny: By taking tackle Olu Fashanu, the Jets did the right thing. But it sure didn’t look like an all-in move for Rodgers since Fashanu is going to likely sit for a year. Corley will be a nice pick, but this wasn’t a great draft for immediate help.

Chad Reuter (NFL.com): B+

Analysis: Even after picking up veteran tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses this offseason, the Jets selected Fashanu to help protect Aaron Rodgers. They spent their second-rounder on Rodgers last year and moved up for the tough-running Corley to improve the talent surrounding the future Hall of Famer.

The Jets did well picking up a 2025 third-rounder for one of their fourth-round selections. Adding in the big, nimble Allen to the backfield behind Breece Hall and Israel Abanikanda makes sense given how injuries have impacted depth at the position. I projected the Jets to bring in productive team leader Travis on Day 3, so trading up for him in the fifth wasn’t surprising. Stiggers is a fantastic story, coming through the CFL to the NFL, and a competitive athlete outside.

Charles McDonald (Yahoo Sports): B-

The Jets didn’t have a ton of draft capital to work with, but they still found some quality players, including a potential franchise tackle in Olu Fashanu from Penn State. He’ll be a fixture up front for a long, long time if the injury issues from last season don’t reappear. Wideout Malachi Corley will make fans happy early with his ability to run after the catch and Braelon Allen is a talented running back to develop behind Breece Hall. The trade up for QB Jordan Travis was baffling, but that was in the fifth round so no need to ding too much in the grand scheme of things.