The New York Jets are now the favorites to land Sam Darnold

With the 2018 NFL Draft still over a month away, there are plenty of moves that teams are going to make. The New York Jets’ latest move may land them Sam Darnold.

The 2018 NFL Draft is going to be one of the most telling and entertaining drafts of recent memory. This year’s draft class is absolutely loaded with talent, especially in the quarterback department. Josh Allen, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen and Baker Mayfield could all be top-five picks. And let us not forget about the “once in a generation” talent, running back Saquon Barkley.

Who gets picked where has been vastly different for multiple draft analysts. The Browns own the first and fourth overall picks; will they draft Barkley and a quarterback? Barkley, then trade down and commit to Tyrod Taylor as the starting quarterback? What will the Giants do with the second overall pick and Eli Manning?

Now, the New York Jets have entered themselves into the discussion.

The New York Jets traded up to the third overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft. New York sent the Indianapolis Colts the sixth overall pick, the 37th overall pick, the 49th overall pick and a second-round pick next year. The Jets, obviously, desperately want a quarterback from this draft class.

Whether or not this makes sense after signing Teddy Bridgewater is a discussion for another day. However, New York ultimately overpaid for this pick to keep the quarterback-less Buffalo Bills from taking the spot. Now, the ball is in New York’s court.

And this will land them former USC Trojan Sam Darnold.

Sam Darnold has been tied to the first overall pick and the Cleveland Browns, which would obviously keep New York from landing the Southern California quarterback. However, I think the trade for Taylor is telling of the Browns’ plans.

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The Cleveland Browns are going to select Josh Allen; the quarterback who is not as refined as his peers but has a lot of upside. Taylor will play one season in Cleveland, giving the team at least some experience in winning football games and giving Allen more time to refine himself. Then, after that year, the team is Josh Allen’s for the taking.

There would be no point in drafting a starter-ready quarterback like Sam Darnold and benching him. While this would also help him develop, the potential upside of Allen will be too much for Cleveland to pass on. Heck, they might even draft Saquon Barkley knowing that they can get Josh Allen with the fourth overall selection.

The Giants could be a threat to draft Darnold, however, I think a quarterback like Josh Rosen would fit their needs better. If Barkley is on the board they will obviously go that route, if not, perhaps they trade down. That is the biggest x-factor in this: what the New York Giants do.

At the end of the day, though, I do not think that second overall pick, regardless of team, will be used on Sam Darnold. That leaves the New York Jets, who traded up for a quarterback, to get arguably the most NFL-ready quarterback in this draft class.

“With the third pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the New York Jets select Sam Darnold, quarterback, University of Southern California.”

Next: The Rams' first-round plan is clear

Or the Jets could draft Baker Mayfield and completely render my prediction wrong. I’m sitting on this take. Sam Darnold to the New York Jets.

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