Another positive about having 5 picks in first 87

Decision-makers continue to lose sleep over this.

With the draft just a couple of days away, teams continue to struggle getting get medical information on prospects. Remember, they usually check out 330 players at the combine, and then bring in 30 prospect to their facility for individual visits, and in some cases get medical on guys who were no invited to the combine. None of that happened this year due to COVID-19.

This year, there was just a medical combine in Indy a couple of weeks ago for 150 of the top players, and reportedly less than 150 showed showed up (somebody told me there were 140). If you have a bunch of medical issues that are going to flag you, would you show up?

“Several players with COVID or other reasons you had some key players that didn’t make it there,” said NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, a former scout.

“Teams struggling to get accurate medical information on prospects due to absence of this year‘s combine,” Adam Schefter announced on Monday. “Even though there were medical exams in Indy this month given to 150 players, teams not pleased.”

Team usually avoid picking players they don’t have medical reports on.

So according to Jeremiah, teams are attempting to trade out of the lower rounds, because with just 140 players getting thorough medical checks at the combine, a lot of prospects in late rounds, 5-7, likely won’t have medical reports.

“The math doesn’t work out,” Jeremiah said. “When you look at the number of picks and you look at the number of physicals, there’s going to be a lot of guys that get picked this year that teams are not comfortable with medically, and that’s why I think you’re going to see teams very willing to part with late picks in this draft to move up in rounds 3 and 4 and all the way up into round 2, and you’re going to see teams comfortable with trading some picks this year for picks next year just because once we get to the back half of the draft you’re literally flying blind on these kids medically.”

It’s been well-documented about how great it is for the Jets to have five picks in the first 87 selections – two first-rounders, a pick at the top of the second round and two third-round picks. That is a bunch of premium draft capital right there.

But aside from the obvious point that they should be able to get five very good players in this slots, there is another very positive aspect to these picks that is 2021 specific.

As Jeremiah mentioned above, teams attempting to trade up get into round 2-4 to get into the range where get players with the Indy medical checks (140-150 players).

So the Jets will likely land five really good players with there five picks in the first 87, and also feel really good about them medically, because there is a good chance they will be from that group of 140-150 player who get the Indy medical checks. The 150 player invited to Indy were only players considered early-round prospects.

So Joe Douglas might have a good nice options here. He can stay put with those five picks and land five very good players who have likely been cleared medically, or shop some of those picks, perhaps the two third-rounders, and have another team overpay for them, because they are so desperate to move into the third round to get a player they medically cleared.

Considering the awful medical check situation this year with prospects, I wouldn’t shocked if teams offer if a team offers a higher pick next year, like a 2022 second-rounder, for a 2021 third-rounder.

But any way you slice it, this is a great year to have five picks in the first 87.

April 27, 2021

Premium will return by 9:30 pm on Wednesday.