2022 NFL mock draft: New York Jets select WR Garrett Wilson

The New York Jets are back on the clock in our Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft after taking Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton with the fourth overall pick. Acting general manager elgarraz gave head coach Robert Saleh a nice defensive gift to kick off Year 2, but where to with the team’s second top-10 pick?

Here’s a look at the player who have come off the board so far in the draft:

POD Community Mock Draft picks so far:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan
2. Detroit Lions: Travon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
3. Houston Texans: Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon
4. New York Jets: Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
5. New York Giants: Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
6. Carolina Panthers: Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State
7. New York Giants: Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
8. Atlanta Falcons: Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh
9. Seattle Seahawks: Malik Willis, QB, Liberty

After a defensive player went with each of the first four picks in the draft, offense has now been the selection in four of the last five picks. Will the Jets keep the trend going?

With the 10th pick in the POD Community Mock Draft, the Jets have selected...

Garrett Wilson, wide receiver out of Ohio State.

Here’s elgarraz with the explanation:

If I’m the Jets and this is how the draft goes down, I’d be extremely pleased at this point. I’d have liked to get one of the top pass rushers with my first pick, but they were gone, and getting Hamilton instead fills a major need. Now I’m sitting pretty at 10 with the opportunity to take the first WR off the board.

The Jets’ current WR room looks like this: Corey Davis, Elijah Moore, Braxton Berrios, and Denzel Mims. Davis was injured half of last season and he’s a No. 2 WR, at best, when healthy anyway. Elijah Moore is a solid slot prospect who was okay last year, Mims doesn’t seem to be working out, and Berrios is filler. The Jets need a No. 1 guy who can make life easier for Zach Wilson.

The debate was between Drake London and Garrett Wilson. I went with Wilson, and here’s why: On a team with another NFL caliber WR, Wilson was the No. 1 guy. He gets separation on deep routes, crossers, he gets YAC, and he’s great on those contested catches. Like Hamilton as a safety, Wilson does everything you want a WR to do, and he does it at an elite level. I like London a lot as well, but he’s more a classic X receiver and has a more limited toolbox.

The Jets are invested in Zach Wilson, and they need some WRs to make the game easier for him. They took a shot at bringing in Tyreek Hill, but he opted to go to Miami. Garrett Wilson isn’t Cheetah, but he is exactly the type of guy who could come in and start making life easier for the second-year QB. Corner and EDGE are also pretty big needs for the Jets, but given the need to develop Zach Wilson I felt WR was more pressing.

Erik’s thoughts:

I think elgarraz did a nice job justifying his selection of Wilson—who could certainly be the first receiver off the board—but as I noted in my evaluation of the Hamilton pick, I think addressing the edge should be one of the Jets’ top priorities and Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson would have been my selection here. Top-flight edge rushers are difficult to find, and Johnson would give Saleh an element to his defense that he desperately needs.

If Johnson isn’t Saleh’s cup of tea, alternative options for this pick would include corners Derek Stingley (LSU) and Trent McDuffie (Washington) who I believe could be in top-10 pick consideration.