With the 10th pick in our POD Community Mock, the Jets select…
Midway through the 2022 season, it appeared the New York Jets were finally turning the franchise corner. With a 6-3 record at the bye week, Robert Saleh and an impressive rookie class had some thinking the Jets were going to be the next powerhouse in the AFC.
Unfortunately for Saleh and company, the Jets went on to lose seven of their last eight games that season, and followed it up with the Aaron Rodgers disaster that was 2023.
It’s the Jets turn in our 2024 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, and with a top-10 pick, they have a chance at cashing in on an immediate-impact player. Acting as general manager for the Jets is POD commenter SUHFARGONE. Before we get into their pick, here’s how the first nine picks have gone:
- Chicago Bears: USC QB Caleb Williams
- Washington Commanders: UNC QB Drake Maye
- New England Patriots: OSU WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
- Arizona Cardinals: Washington WR Rome Odunze
- Los Angeles chargers: Notre Dame OT Joe Alt
- New York Giants: LSU QB Jayden Daniels
- Tennessee Titans: Georgia TE Brock Bowers
- Atlanta Falcons: Alabama EDGE Dallas Turner
- Chicago Bears: LSU WR Malik Nabers
With the 10th pick in the POD Community Mock Draft, the New York Jets have selected Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga.
Here’s SUHFARGONE with the explanation for the pick:
“Taliese Fuaga is a monster of an OT. Standing 6-foot-6 tall and weighing in at 334 pounds, he is a bullldozing run blocker who has plenty of room to develop and grow even better. Although lauded for his run blocking prowess, he allowed zero sacks in his three years at Oregon State, so he’s no slouch in pass protection either. Fuaga has risen up the draft boards in the last couple months and is now rated as the second best OT in this class.
“The Jets learned the hard way that protecting the quarterback is of ultimate importance after losing Aaron Rodgers in his first game last season. They did make some moves to shore up their line in free agency, signing offensive tackle Tyron Smith, but games are won in the trenches and you can never have too many good offensive linemen.
“I was secretly hoping Brock Bowers would fall to this position, but that didn’t happen. I considered taking JJ McCarthy to groom as Rodgers’ eventual replacement here, but ultimately the offensive tackle just made more sense.
“The Jets are primed to win a bunch of games with the addition of Mike Williams to go along with Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall. Keeping Rodgers upright is imperative to their success as Zach Wilson has proved over and over again that he is NOT the answer.
“Here is an excerpt from his draft scouting profile on Pro Football Network :
“Fuaga’s elite power and elite explosiveness serve as high-ceiling traits, but Fuaga is much more refined and much more actionable as a Day 1 NFL starter than he gets credit for. In the run game, Fuaga maximizes his power component with sharp angle awareness, urgency, smooth hinge flexibility, and a finisher’s mentality. Meanwhile, as a pass protector, Fuaga has a strong foundation with his balance, leverage acquisition, and ability to stay square. He’s disciplined with his footwork, and there are bright flashes of independent hand usage, combative synergy, and precision on his tape.
“Sounds like just what the Jets need.”