The Jets traded the No. 6 pick in this year’s draft and three second round picks over the next two years to the Colts for the third overall selection in April in a move that most people believe they made to increase their chances of landing the quarterback they like most in this year’s class.
Coach Todd Bowles said Tuesday that is not the case, however. Bowles said, via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, that the team has not honed in on one player at this point and that there are “6-7 they believe they’ll have a chance at” as a result of their current spot in the order. Bowles added that the plan is to zero in on the player they want in the weeks to come.
The Jets can’t be certain of having any one player available with two teams sitting in front of them, so they need to have more than one plan in hand. General Manager Mike Maccagnan said on Monday that “it’s not as if we’re totally locked in” to the No. 3 spot, which could conceivably mean a move in either direction before a pick is actually made. If moving down is a consideration, keeping as many players in the mix for their pick makes sense.
Still, they spent quite a bit of draft capital to move up three spots if there were at least six players they would consider drafting at their new spot. That probably makes this a good time to end with a remember that draft season is not a time when teams willingly reveal their true intentions.