New York Jets are in the hunt for quality players, and in that quest, they are willing to play ball in order to move up a few places in the NFL draft. Or so said the Jets GM Mike Maccagnan, with the New York franchise being tipped to go in for the All-American Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.
The Jets were one of only three teams to workout Mariota privately and they even brought the highly-rated quarterback to New Jersey, giving the 21-year-old a private tour. The other two teams to workout Mariota – the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Tennessee Titans, the teams with the first and second pick in the NFL draft on Thursday.
So, with teams above the Jets also needing QBs, Maccagnan might not even get an opportunity to get Mariota with the sixth pick in the draft, which is probably why the Jets general manager came out publicly and admitted he is willing to trade-up, as long as a deal makes sense.
"We're going to reach out to every team ahead of us and gauge the value of what they're looking for in compensation to move up in the draft," he said in a press conference at the weekend.
"That doesn't mean we're actually trying to go up necessarily and get a player but you hear what the market value is basically, and then what you do is see what unfolds with the first few picks and who is available. We'll have that discussion when we get to the draft, if we want to move up in the draft.
"Philosophically, I'm not opposed to moving up in the draft to get a player if you feel if a player is going to be an extremely good player. ... I would personally want to."
Much will depend on if Mariota is let go with the first and second picks. Then the Jets might want to consider trading up and making the Oregon quarterback their man, as there is the danger of another team, below the Jets also trading up to do just that.
"If Tennessee doesn't take him at No. 2, Mariota's not going No. 3 or 4, because the Jaguars and Raiders both have young quarterbacks," said media NFL analyst Mike Mayock to the league's official website. "That puts him at No. 5.
"Washington is interesting because obviously there has been a rub with the organization and RGIII. If I'm the Jets, and you really like Mariota, you think about going from No. 6 to No. 2, and you think about going from No. 6 to No. 5, just to guarantee nobody can jump you.
"Cleveland could jump from No. 12 to No. 5 without giving up a first-round pick. If I'm the Jets at No. 6 and he gets past Oakland at No. 4, I'd be calling Washington and asking 'Hey, what's it going to take just to move one spot?'"
If Tennessee uses that second pick to take Mariota, however, all of this will be a moot point.
