Jets could regret Kenyon Sadiq draft pick for two major reasons originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New York Jets didn't pull off the stunner of the NFL Draft; that honor goes to the Los Angeles Rams, who took Ty Simpson at No. 13 overall. But, only three picks later, the Jets made a surprise of their own.
Despite picking Mason Taylor last year at No. 42 overall, the Jets took tight end Kenyon Sadiq with the No. 16 pick this year. It's reasonable for fans and media to question such a pick.
ESPN's Rich Cimini also questioned this pick, pointing out how the Jets might come to regret this pick of a tight end over a wide receiver like Makai Lemon or even Omar Cooper Jr.
"Biggest question: Should they have picked a wide receiver instead of Sadiq?" Cimini writes. "There were some good ones still on the board, including Makai Lemon and Omar Cooper Jr."
While the Jets did wind up landing Cooper down the board with the trade-up with the San Francisco 49ers that cost just a late fifth-rounder, the Jets still wound up spending more on a WR than they might've needed to.
Sadiq is a fun player and could be a great playmaker for the Jets. But with Taylor's selection a year ago with a premium pick, this is a strange selection for the Jets.
Makai Lemon, the Bilitnikoff Award winner and someone who fell to the Philadelphia Eagles at pick No. 20, would've been a great pick here for the Jets.
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But the Jets took a tight end despite already spending premium assets on one last year, and then had to trade up using a fifth-round pick along with the 33rd pick to land Cooper in Round 1.
The Jets should've instead taken Lemon, or even Cooper at No. 16, and used that No. 33 pick as a trade-down bait to land a haul to help further build the roster.
Sadiq is a good player, but he's an odd pick for the Jets offense that already has invested in the TE position. Cimini's question is one the Jets will have to hope doesn't come back to haunt them.
If Lemon turns out to be a star in the NFL, the Jets will look foolish for passing on him at No. 16. Add in the strange situation with Taylor already on the roster with a premium pick, and this selection by the Jets is one they easily could come to regret.
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