Content available exclusively for subscribers
I basically don’t believe any of it.
This time of year, you will see myriad reports claiming to know how teams feel about certain prospects.
And after the insiders throw this stuff out there, many fan websites will write articles, and these “scoops” end up all over the internet.
ESPN reports the Jets are “extremely high” on Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr.
Why?
“They view him as an ideal complementary WR2 to Garrett Wilson,” wrote ESPN.
As you all know by now, the Jets are thin at receiver and need to pick a wideout high in the draft, because they don’t have anybody aside from Wilson.
You all know that by now, in the worldview of many, the QB situation last year had no bearing on the Jets’ receivers not putting up big numbers.
Over the last month of the season, Aaron Glenn started rookie Brady Cook, who he felt gave the team the best chance to win, and he threw two touchdown passes and seven picks in four starts. It often looked like Adonai Mitchell and Cook were not on the same page. Perhaps that was Mitchell’s fault, not the rookie free agent with accuracy issues.
So the Jets are high on Cooper, or maybe the source is high. Who knows? Don’t know who the source is. And why would the Jets brass let anybody know who they are high on? What is the benefit of letting what you think of prospects?
Another type of item that goes viral with fans is when “team insiders,” as they call them, tweet stuff like this:
“I feel pretty confident [Ty Simpson] won’t be their No. 16 pick,” New York Times writer Zach Rosenblatt, who covers the Jets, said. He was also embedded with a Cleveland Browns staffer for the Times in 2024 for some stories.
Rosenblatt has made a cottage industry out of these kinds of takes on Twitter that fans’ sites write stories about. It’s like he’s their assignment editor. It’s really smart. Good for business.
Do I think the Jets will pick Simpson at 16? I have no idea. Do I think they will pick him at 33 or 44? I have no idea.
Are the Jets “extremely high” on Cooper?
I have no idea, nor should I have any idea.
Why would a team ever tell you how they feel about players in the draft? That is just foolish.
And honestly, if you asked a team about hundreds of players in the draft, with ratings in all different rounds, they would probably say they are “extremely high” on a lot of them. Obviously, they are not high on everyone, but are “high” on a lot of players. That is the nature of the draft process.
This is another nugget that went viral.
“[The Jets] had dinner with [Ty Simpson], they did some classroom work and from what I understand, no surprise here, he’s very impressive on the board,” wrote ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
This was likely a legitimate scoop.
You see, saying a guy was good on the board is not leaking much of anything. It’s the kind of thing that GMs and coaches back in the day would actually say in pre-draft press conferences. Now, they think if they say, “The Clemson corners have good speed and ball skills,” they think they are tipping their hands. They are not. But they don’t go there anymore.
Every team knows that Simpson, the son of a coach, is smart and can draw up plays well on a whiteboard.
While they won’t say anything useful about prospects in these pre-draft pressers, there is no doubt they might throw harmless crumbs to writers to keep them happy and in good standing.
But honestly, I’m kind of red-pilled on all these “scoops” telling us who teams like before the draft. Not buying most of these “scoops.”
We will find out who they truly liked when they pick them.
April 9, 2026
Premium will return by 9:30 pm (or sooner) on Friday.
