There was no team with more offseason hope and expectations heading into last season than the New York Jets. Pairing Aaron Rodgers with one of the league’s best defenses and two budding offensive stars in Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson should’ve had the Jets contending for the postseason. But Rodgers only played four snaps before tearing his Achilles and the Jets’ offense fizzled out.
Rodgers should be back for Week 1 though, and the Jets have addressed two glaring weak spots on their roster. They badly needed help on the offensive line and to get another wide receiver to play alongside Wilson. The Jets got that in the form of Tyron Smith and Mike Williams. But that doesn’t mean they can’t use the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to strengthen those positions even more. They could do so by drafting Washington’s Rome Odunze, Penn State’s Olu Fashanu, or Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga.
Rome Odunze, Wide Receiver, Washington
It is far from a guarantee that Rome Odunze even lasts this long. In a loaded wide receiver class that includes two other potentially generational prospects in Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. and LSU’s Malik Nabers, Odunze has a case to be the best one. One reason why is because he is arguably the best route runner in the class.
Another reason why is how prolific Odunze was in Seattle with the Washington Huskies. He led the country in receiving yards last season with 1,645. Odunze didn’t just beat up on bad competition either. The Pac-12 was arguably the best conference in college football last season. He also put up a combined 316 yards in Washington’s three postseason games.
Not only did Odunze show up in big games, but he also delivered in big moments in those big games. No moment was bigger than his game-winning touchdown catch against the Oregon Ducks to help the Huskies stay undefeated.
Odunze has a lot of potential suitors before the Jets pick at tenth overall, starting with the Giants at six. The Bears, who are a popular destination for the former Husky as well, sit ninth in the draft, one spot above the Jets. New York may have to trade up to get him, but he’d be well worth it.
Olu Fashanu, Offensive Tackle, Penn State
How bad was the Jets’ offensive line last season? Very bad. They ranked 30th in the NFL in pass block win rate and 29th in run block win rate according to ESPN.com. Injuries and poor play prompted the Jets to run through a series of offensive line combinations, but they still could not find any consistent stretch of solid play. The Jets gave up 64 sacks, which was tied with the Tennessee Titans for the fourth-most in the NFL. Only the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, and Carolina Panthers gave up more.
Enter Olu Fashanu. If the Jets want to improve their pass protection Fashanu needs to be a priority. He did not give up a single sack in his entire career at Penn State.
It isn’t a guarantee Fashanu is available with the tenth overall pick either. The Titans need offensive line help badly as well and have the seventh overall pick. But there’s a better chance Fashanu is available for the Jets than Odunze. New York did sign Smith, but only to a one-year deal. Fashanu could be the Jets’ left tackle for a very long time.
Taliese Fuaga, Offensive Tackle, Oregon State
If Fashunu isn’t available for the Jets with the tenth pick, odds are that Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga will be. He is also one of the best left tackle prospects in this year’s loaded class.
Fuaga did not give up a single sack in any of his last two seasons at Oregon State. He is as good as any of the offensive linemen in this class. He’d be a home run selection for the Jets at tenth overall.
