Hot Takes, Predictions for Jets Rookies After 2024 NFL Draft

The New York Jets chose the practical approach the 2024 NFL draft and they should be rewarded for it right away.

The Jets selected Olu Fashanu with the No. 11 overall pick. They turned down the temptation of choosing Brock Bowers, or any of the wide receivers left on the board.

Fashanu gives the Jets a lockdown offensive tackle to start in one of the anchor positions on the line that must protect Aaron Rodgers in 2024.

The wait until the second round for a wide receiver could pay off immediately for the Jets if Malachi Corley shines in his rookie season like he did during his career at Western Kentucky.

Corley may not have been the No. 1 wide receiver prospect in the draft class, but he has the potential to finish 2024 with one of the top five receiving-yard totals among rookie wide outs.

Olu Fashanu Provides Much Needed Stability to Offensive Line

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COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 04: Olumuyiwa Fashanu #74 of the Penn State Nittany Lions blocks against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium on November 04, 2023 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)

The Jets landed the perfect type of offensive lineman for their offensive system.

Fashanu blocked in a run-heavy offense at Penn State where the quarterback was not as mobile as others in the Big Ten.

Aaron Rodgers certainly isn't going to break 10-15-yard runs on a regular basis in 2024, so the Jets need their new offensive tackle to be firm in pass protection.

Fashanu should fit right in with the rushing attack as well since he blocked for one of the Big Ten's best rushing tandems over the last two seasons.

The Jets need Fashanu to open up holes for Breece Hall so that the offense is as functional as it can be to contend for a playoff position.

Fashanu will start on one end of the offensive line and he should get better by just absorbing information from Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses on how to approach the position at the NFL level.

Malachi Corley Has One of the Best Rookie Wide Receiver Seasons

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HONOLULU, HI - SEPTEMBER 03: Malachi Corley #11 of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers runs the ball during the second half of an NCAA football game against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at the Clarance T.C. Ching Athletic Complex on September 3, 2022 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)

Corley resides in one of the more ideal situations for a rookie wide receiver.

The second-rounder out of Western Kentucky should compete with Mike Williams and Allen Lazard for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart behind Garrett Wilson.

Williams and Lazard might have the upper hand on Corley going into Week 1, but neither player has the explosiveness the rookie has. The two veterans also have a long history of injuries, so staying on the field for 17 games is not a guarantee.

Corley was 16 yards away from recording back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at WKU. He had 11 touchdowns in both 2022 and 2023.

He brings a dynamic skill set to the offense that Williams and Lazard may not have anymore.

Sure, the two veterans will be relied on in possession-based plays, but Corley is the potential breakout star of the offense alongside Wilson.

A top-five yardage season among rookie wide outs will be a hard achievement to reach with seven first-round wide receivers and three other second-rounders competing in 2024, but if Corley forms a connection with Rodgers early, he could become the newest star in the Jets offense.

Isaiah Davis Wins Backup Running Back Spot

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FRISCO, TEXAS - JANUARY 07: Isaiah Davis #22 of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits stiff arms Trevin Gradney #27 of the Montana Grizzlies during the Division I FCS Football Championship held at Toyota Stadium on January 7, 2024 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

The Jets took two fascinating running back prospects in the fourth and fifth rounds.

The latter pick of the two, South Dakota State's Isaiah Davis, is the lesser known prospect between himself and Braelon Allen from Wisconsin, but he could be better suited to win the backup running back job.

Davis ran for over 2,900 yards at the FCS level over the last two seasons in a run-heavy South Dakota State offense.

Davis recorded 10 or more touchdowns in three of his four collegiate seasons, and at two years older than Allen, he could adapt to the NFL quicker than his new teammate.

Allen posted three double-digit touchdown seasons of his own at Wisconsin, so the Jets are not lacking backup talent, but Davis could be hungrier to prove himself coming out of the FCS level and that may lead to him being the No. 2 running back out of camp.

There is a good chance both Davis and Allen overtake Israel Abanikanda, who could be a candidate to be cut at the end of training camp if the two rookies outperform him.