Why did the Jets trade for Colts' No. 3 pick in 2018 NFL Draft?

The New York Jets have made the first big trade of the 2018 NFL Draft. More than a month remains until the first round opens, but the Jets have traded for the Indianapolis Colts No. 3 overall pick. The Jets announced that they are giving up their No. 6 overall pick, two second-round picks — No. 37 and No. 49 overall — as well as a 2019 2nd round pick.

What does this trade mean for the Jets?

It’s a pricy trade, but it seems clear the Jets are prepared to invest in a quarterback with the pick. There is talk of as many as five quarterbacks getting drafted in the first round. The first half of the draft board could include some combination USC’s Sam Darnold, UCLA’s Josh Rosen, Wyoming’s Josh Allen, Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, and Louisville’s Lamar Jackson.

The Jets signed quarterbacks Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater this offseason to one-year deals. McCown is nearing the end of his career, while Bridgewater has not played meaningful snaps in three years. The signings give the Jets short-term options, but put them in a position to add a quarterback of the future in the draft. Given the number of quarterbacks that could go in the top five, this all but assures us that the Jets will be selecting a quarterback with this pick come April 26.

Giving up three second-round picks to move up three spots is expensive. But what’s most surprising about the deal is that the Jets almost definitely won’t have their choice of quarterbacks. There’s a strong chance that New York ends up with the third quarterback off the board with the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants ahead of them in the order.

But with the Buffalo Bills lurking and ready to jump ahead of the Jets, New York pulled the trigger early and made sure it didn’t end up with the fourth choice.

What does this trade mean for the Colts?

With so many teams on the hunt for a quarterback at the top of the class, Indianapolis didn’t have much competition for other positions. The Colts aren’t in the market for a quarterback with Andrew Luck on his way back from shoulder problems, even if those surgeries cost him the entire 2016 season.

The presumptive choices for the Colts at the No. 3 pick were Penn State running back Saquon Barkley or North Carolina State pass rusher Bradley Chubb.

It’s possible the Colts don’t get either player now that they’re three spots lower, but there’s also a strong chance they still do. The Browns, Giants, and now the Jets all seem likely to take a quarterback with their first few picks.

That could mean a player like Chubb still lands in Indianapolis, or the team could now be well-positioned to take Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson and provide Luck with some much-needed protection up front, or Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick to shore up the secondary.

What does this trade mean for other teams in the draft?

Cleveland Browns

The Browns have their pick of the draft class with the No. 1 pick, but this deal really forces the team’s hand and means quarterback will almost definitely will be the top pick. Prior to the trade there were essentially two potential paths Cleveland could take:

Take a quarterback at No. 1 and likely miss out on Barkley with the No. 4 pick.
Take Barkley at No. 1 and take the second quarterback off the board at No. 4.

It’s not quite that simple. There are plenty of wrenches and twists that can change things, but the debate essentially boiled down to those options. Now it’s clear that if Cleveland doesn’t take a quarterback at the top, it means they’ll probably miss on the first two passers of the class.

That sounds a bit uncomfortable for Cleveland, which would presumably rather have options. But the good news is that the Browns seem to be in great position to take a quarterback at the top and STILL land Barkley at No. 4.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills didn’t keep their cards close to the chest when it came to quarterback plans. With plenty of draft capital to work with, it became pretty clear that Buffalo was aiming to climb up the order and take a quarterback early.

Buffalo already moved up from No. 21 to No. 12 and didn’t do much to address its quarterback concerns except sign AJ McCarron to a cheap deal. Maybe the Bills should’ve been a little less obvious or a little quicker to the trigger, because now it seems as though the first three quarterbacks will be off the board before Buffalo even finds a trade partner.

The only option for the Bills to climb into the mix is to call up the Giants and see how much it costs to move from No. 12 to No. 2. Considering the Jets are out three second-round picks just to go three spots, it could take a windfall of picks to go up 10 spots.

At this point, the Bills may be better off just saving their haul of picks and not packaging them to move up. At No. 12, it can pick whichever quarterback is left out of the talented crop of passers at the top. That is, if there are any left.

Let's block ads! (Why?)