The New York Jets' first-round choice with the No. 6 pick of the NFL draft should be an easy one if Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota is available, according to NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock.
"Personally, and I don't know a thing about it in the (Jets') building, if he got to No. 6, I'd sprint that thing up there," Mayock said on a media teleconference Thursday.
If the club believes Mariota is the man to turn the franchise's fortunes, however, Mayock believes the Jets ought not wait until its No. 6 pick to make it happen. And the price of moving up will drop significantly if the Tennessee Titans pass on Mariota with the No. 2 choice.
"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. That puts him at No. 5. Washington is interesting because obviously there has been a rub with the organization and RGIII," Mayock said. "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 (go) from from No. 12 to No. 5 without giving up an (extra) 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?'"
The Jets do not have a fifth- or sixth-round pick. Although it would surely take more than that to move up in the first round, the absence of those late choices could make the club somewhat more reticent to part with a higher pick.
Mayock said an edge pass rusher would be the Jets' other primary need if Mariota is gone, but believes Florida's Dante Fowler will be gone by the No. 6 pick.
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