NY Jets ‘explored’ trading up in first round (Report)

The New York Jets showed interest in trading up but couldn’t find a suitor

The first round of the 2024 NFL draft has come and gone but the hysteria remains. With the first 32 picks in the books, reports are starting to leak about what went down.

It was revealed last night that the Brock Bowers-to-New York Jets hype was merely a smokescreen and never truly considered. Now, we’ve learned that the Jets reportedly showed interest in trading up before they settled on trading down one spot and selecting offensive tackle Olu Fashanu.

SNY’s Connor Hughes reported this morning that the Jets did “explore” trading up for one of the draft’s top wide receivers, but each of the three teams in the top 10 who took wide receivers “had no intention of trading back.”

The #Jets tried to trade up. They did. They couldn’t get the #Bears or #Giants to budge. So Joe Douglas stayed and took his future franchise left tackle, but more importantly, a must-need insurance policy for 2024: https://t.co/QXvPfeJlJa

— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) April 26, 2024

Rome Odunze was heavily connected to the Jets in recent weeks while Malik Nabers and Marvin Harrison were mentioned as well. In the end, however, Harrison would go fourth to Arizona, Nabers sixth to the Giants, and Odunze ninth to Chicago.

The Falcons and Bears were commonly mentioned as potential trade partners for the Jets. However, the Falcons surprisingly drafted a quarterback, meaning they could’ve risked the Vikings or Broncos trading up to take their target. Meanwhile, the Bears drafted the player the Jets likely wanted, making a trade unlikely.

Kudos to Joe Douglas for quickly pivoting. Instead of overpaying to move up, Douglas slid back one spot, collected free picks, and still landed the player he wanted. Now the Jets have a much-needed backup for 2024 and a cornerstone player in 2025 and beyond. The extra picks they acquired while moving back can be used to address the Jets’ remaining needs.

Not a bad way to start the 2024 NFL draft.

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