Super Bowl LVII kicks off in under two weeks but the New York Jets are staying busy as they prepare for the end of the 2022-23 NFL season.
With the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Game kicking off workouts this week (and games later on), the Jets need to find the next great group of rookies that they can trust to end their 12-year postseason drought. There is good news for New York on that end. Last season, four of the seven selections the Jets made in the 2022 NFL Draft made their mark during the Senior Bowl. The 2022 draft class is considered one of the best in team history with finalists for both offensive and defensive rookie of the year named.
What does it mean? It means that the Senior Bowl and Shrine game is of vital importance for the New York Jets as they find the next crop of top players. Here are five names that not only could become future Jets in a few months, but could be the next crop of top talent to end Gang Green’s playoff drought.
Jayden Reed – WR, MSU
The clear-cut winner on day one of the Senior Bowl workouts has been Jayden Reed. The possession receiver has solid hands and has won on the line of scrimmage each drill he’s gone in against opposing corners.
Clocking in at a Tuesday-high 20.03 miles per hour also helps with Reed’s projections. A day-three potential selection, Reed helped his draft prospects extremely well this week.
Matthew Bergeron – OT, Syracuse
The Jets need offensive line depth. Bergeron can play both guard and tackle and is one of the safest offensive line picks in this draft. Most scouts believe Bergeron is a day three selection but a strong senior bowl and combine could very well move him up quickly. Player flexibility is so important in the modern game, specifically when discussing offensive linemen.
New York can use as much depth as they can get and they don’t come better than Bergeron.
Cody Mauch – OL, North Dakota State
Speaking of offensive line depth, there is always one FCS player that turns heads in Alabama and shoots up draft boards. Cody Mauch might be that player. He’s incredibly athletic, has position flexibility and has good hand placements.
Simply put, Mauch has already begun to turn heads in Mobile, and would be an excellent fit for the aggressive style of play the Jets want to run on offense.
Henry To’oTo’o – LB, Alabama
New York has several decisions to make regarding their linebackers. Whether the team chooses to bring back Quincy Williams or Kwon Alexander will go a long way to determining who the Jets could target in the draft as replacmenets.
To’oTo’o has good range and will probably be a day three selection. He comes from a complex defense though that could help his draft stock as he goes through workouts and combine drills. His issue is that he’s not overly physical and fluid and needs some seasoning at the position.
Regardless, To’oTo’o could be an underrated player that could be a solid pick for Gang Green.
Jordan Battle – S, Alabama
Battle is a player that has experience as a slot corner and on-ball safety. He has good range and can play a physical brand of football that would fit well with what the Jets are trying to do on defense.
Battle would be an interesting pick at #13 for New York but with Joe Douglas an analytically driven front office executive, it might be hard to see the Jets try and find a spot for him.
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