Jets on hand to watch UCONN OL Christian Haynes at Pro-Day

The college Pro-Day circuit is well underway, and New York Jets’ assistant offensive line coach Ben Wilkerson made the trip to UCONN’s Pro-Day to see interior offensive lineman Christian Haynes, according to Tony Pauline.

Haynes would go through positional drills, which were led by Wilkerson. Pauline added that Haynes looked “terrific” and moved well with quick feet.

At the NFL Combine, Haynes measured in at 6-3 and weighed 317 pounds. He put up impressive athletic testing numbers, posting a Relative Athletic Score of 9.10, which included a 5.03 second 40-yard dash and a vertical of 33 inches.

Haynes will enter the NFL as a very experienced college player with 3,319 career snaps, with all but one of them coming at right guard. During the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Haynes allowed just one total sack and only 15 pressures, with just three coming in 2022.

Haynes ranked first among guards in PFF’s pass-blocking grade in 2022 and first in pass-blocking efficiency. This past season, he ranked 22nd in pass-blocking grade and 57th in pass-blocking efficiency.

In that same two season span, Haynes was eighth and third, respectively, in run-blocking grade.

For a closer look at Haynes’ game, here is what Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote in his pre-draft scouting report:

“Four-year starter and team captain who is sturdy at the point of attack. Haynes plays with football intelligence and sees every snap as a mandate to move opponents and finish blocks. His draft slotting could be affected by a lack of length and being limited to one position, but his determined playing style counters those factors.

“He’s not overly rangy but wipes out targets on pulling blocks and is capable in space, and in pass protection. The hand usage can get sloppy, allowing opponents to slip away from him, and he has a tendency to do too much grabbing. All things considered, he might outplay his draft slotting and become a solid NFL starter.”

The potential addition of Haynes would, at a minimum, build the Jets interior offensive line depth. The only true experienced interior options possibly coming off the bench this season are Wes Schweitzer and Connor McGovern.

If the Jets were to move Haynes to left guard, perhaps he could compete with John Simpson as soon as this summer on the left side, or at the very least, provide a long-term option inside with the Jets able to get out of Simpson’s contract after this season if needed.

Also on hand at the UCONN Pro-Day was Yale offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie, who spent time with Wilkerson as well, according to Pauline.

A recent mock draft from CBS Sports had the Jets taking Amegadjie in the third round with the 72nd overall pick.

Amegadjie’s 2023 season was cut short to just four games due to a quad injury that required surgery. Pauline noted that Amegadjie only did the bench press at the Pro-Day event, doing 21 reps with over 36 inch arms—good length for a tackle.

Amegadjie played almost 1,600 career snaps, including the last two seasons at left tackle. In 2022, he didn’t allow a sack and surrendered just five pressures. That same season, Amegadjie ranked fifth out of all FBS and FCS tackles in pass-blocking grade and pass-blocking efficiency. At the FCS level that same year, he was 73rd out of 176 tackles in run-blocking grade.

With Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses both on one-year deals with the Jets, Amegadjie could provide added depth in 2024 and potentially compete for playing time in 2025.