New York Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan admitted on Friday that the team had interest in moving up to the No. 1 pick prior to the Los Angeles Rams deal with the Tennessee Titans earlier this month (via the NY Daily News).
The obvious targets for the Jets there would have been quarterbacks Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, especially with incumbent starter Ryan Fitzpatrick still a free agent.
With the Philadelphia Eagles now possessing the second overall pick, it’s readily apparent that Goff and Wentz will go No. 1 and No. 2 overall.
This leaves former Memphis signal caller Paxton Lynch as the top remaining player at that position.
Could the Jets still look to move up after missing out on the top two quarterbacks?
Well, they are said to be highly intrigued with Lynch. And in reality, moving up to the bottom half of the top 10 from the 20th position wouldn’t cost anywhere near the bounty that they had to be discussing with Tennessee for the first pick.
Selecting seventh overall, the San Francisco 49ers could very well be trade partners for New York.
First off, San Francisco is also going to miss out on the top two quarterbacks with both the Rams and Eagles moving up. Secondly, the team has a whole heck of a lot of holes to fill on both sides of the ball, something that could be addressed by accumulating more picks.
We also have the whole Muhammad Wilkerson thing. He’s already indicated an interest in playing for San Francisco. There’s also been a ton of talk about the defensive end being moved.
He’s yet to sign the franchise tag thrown his way, and could very well be traded before the end of next week’s draft.
The potential exists that New York could move the 20th pick and Wilkerson to San Francisco for the seventh selection while selecting Lynch to eventually take over under center.
Either way, the Jets’ attempt to acquire that first pick is a real indication the team might still be looking to trade up come Thursday.