The New York Jets and New England Patriots are AFC East rivals, and the Patriots have been the bane of the Jets’ existence, especially during the Tom Brady era.
Knowing all that, it’s hard to ever envision these two teams making a trade, but one analyst is actually predicting the two teams will link up for a draft-day trade that allows the Jets to draft a defensive difference-maker.
The mock draft comes from CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards, who has the Jets trading up to the No. 4 overall pick with the Patriots — and, with that pick, the Jets take Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham, while the Pats ultimately land Georgia edge rusher Jalon Walker. Here’s Edwards’ thoughts on the Jets pick.
“Opinions on Mason Graham could vary among the league, but the price to move up, even with a divisional rival, is small this year relative to others,” Edwards said. “New York identifies the opportunity to create a strength along the defensive front with Quinnen Williams and Graham.”
While the Jets need a ton of help on offense, we could definitely see the team going with a defensive player in Round 1, seeing as how they have a defensive-minded head coach in Aaron Glenn.
Graham proved to be a force against both the run and pass during his college career. The former National Champion racked up nine sacks in total over the last three years, including three or more in each season. In 2024, he posted a run defense grade of 92.6 and a pass-rush grade of 81.1, per Pro Football Focus.
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With Graham and Quinnen Williams, the Jets could have an elite duo up the middle of their defense for years to come, giving the unit a very strong foundation in the trenches as it retools for the future.
All that said, we find it hard to believe the Pats will help the Jets in any manner, especially with a former Bill Belichick player in Mike Vrabel as the head coach.
But, with the Pats rebuilding and possibly looking for more draft picks, they may be willing to put their rivalry with the Jets aside for now in the interest of helping their rebuild.
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