Latest Jets draft rumors should leave fans scared about the team's plans with its top 10 pick in 2025
It's the final weeks of draft season, so it's also lying season. But New York Jets fans should be somewhat concerned about the most recent rumors about the team's plans for what's ahead. According to ESPN Jets insider Rich Cimini, the team could be open to trading running back Breece Hall if Ashton Jeanty falls […]
It's the final weeks of draft season, so it's also lying season. But New York Jets fans should be somewhat concerned about the most recent rumors about the team's plans for what's ahead. According to ESPN Jets insider Rich Cimini, the team could be open to trading running back Breece Hall if Ashton Jeanty falls to them at pick seven. He referenced head coach Aaron Glenn's willingness to build a running back by committee approach.
"Hall is a gifted player who would attract interest if dangled in trade talks," he wrote. "Perhaps the Jets would consider moving him if Boise State star Ashton Jeanty is available with the seventh pick in the April 24 draft."
The idea of not wanting to pay Breece Hall makes sense in some regards, but there are more reasons to be concerned than excited with this plan.
Running back value
There are always questions about how the running back position is perceived, and the recent impact of players like Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Josh Jacobs for new teams after signing in free agency added an intriguing element to the discussion.
But the Jets are clearly in a completely different moment of their roster-building process compared to the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, and Green Bay Packers. Sure, trading away Breece Hall and recouping some draft capital is a sound process if the idea is to prioritize extensions for Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner, players from more valuable positions.
The idea of taking a running back in the top 10 when the Jets are in Year 1 of a rebuild is questionable at best.
Last year, the team was 29th in run block win rate. And the team already has a solid group of running backs beyond Hall with Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis. Davis, by the way, led the team in yards after contact per attempt (4.2) and elusiveness rating (64.6) via PFF, while Allen isn't that explosive but showed impressive consistency.
Ashton Jeanty is a great prospect and should be a really good NFL player. But that's not the point here. The Jets have more pressing needs and priorities for the phase they are in.
Timeline is everything
The idea of taking a running back early might have its merits, and Aaron Glenn saw it closely during his time with the Detroit Lions. In 2023, the Lions took Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th overall pick, and he became an explosive part of Ben Johnson's offensive philosophy.
However, Glenn can't simply try to copy what the Lions did, because the circumstances are completely different. The Lions had one of the best offensive lines, if not the best, in the entire NFL, a top playcaller, and a sound offensive system.
And if you evaluate how the situation shook out, David Montgomery has also been extremely effective for Detroit. While Gibbs is amazing, there's a fair argument that the Lions would be better had they drafted cornerback Christian Gonzalez, for instance.
If the Jets want a better run game to facilitate the game flow for quarterback Justin Fields, that's fair. But taking a running back is not the path for that either. Get better pieces for the offensive line, and try to make them average in run block, and that's a much more realistic and sustainable path to run the ball with more effectiveness.
The entire point of the discussion was never about how good Gibbs was, nor about how good Jeanty can be for the Jets. It's how much value they can get out of him at this particular point.
And this is even more relevant if the idea is to create a committee at the running back position. Sure, the Lions did it with Montgomery and Gibbs. But the idea of maximizing the asset for a rebuilding team would be even more compromised with a part-time player at a low-value position.
It's hard to know if this will truly be their plan. It also has external factors involved—will Jeanty be available? Will someone give the Jets the compensation they want for Hall?
But if the Jets want to kick off the new phase of their roster with a plan like this, there are reasons to be concerned about the general philosophy of the team.
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