One of the mock drafts that I look forward to every year is the NFL executives mock draft, released by The Athletic in recent years. By no means is it a perfect mock draft, but I like to think that the people that are employed by NFL teams know at least a little bit more than the typical mock drafter or fan.
How did this year’s mock draft shake out?
1. Tennessee Titans: Cam Ward, QB, Miami
2. Cleveland Browns: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
3. New York Giants: Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State
4. New England Patriots: Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
6. Las Vegas Raiders: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
With the 7th pick, the New York Jets took quarterback Jaxson Dart from Missippi … well, actually, their exact prediction was “Jaxson Dart, QB, Mississippi (or another QB)” which is a funny level of broad that I’ve never seen in a mock draft.
Some of the executives’ rationale for this general idea of a pick was as shown below.
“They gotta get a quarterback, and this might be where Jaxson Dart goes,” the exec projecting Dart to the Jets said. “They are sitting there with Tyrod Taylor as their starter right now.”
“I think it’s going to be a quarterback, but we don’t know which one,” another exec said.
The writer of the article, Mike Sando, added some additional thoughts:
Not everyone agrees with Tannenbaum’s contention that Dart should be the third quarterback in this class, but all agree the Jets appear desperate heading into free agency, with few appealing options. So we’ve penciled in a quarterback here, leaving open the chance it could be someone other than Dart.
He also said the below.
One name to keep in mind: Tyler Shough of Louisville.
Todd McShay, the former longtime ESPN draft analyst now with The Ringer, predicted Shough would be drafted ahead of Sanders.
Because Shough has had only one especially strong season, his stock could appear to rise late as teams work through his 2024 tape. His age (25) and injury history have worked against him so far, but some execs see him as a first-round talent with a shot at cracking the top 10.
What do you think? Did the executives nail their prediction, or will the Jets opt for a non-QB with their first pick?