The too-early Mock Draft train left the station months ago, and it keeps trucking along. The latest iteration from ESPN is the Jordan Reid Mock Draft, and it covers the first 32 picks of 2027. The draft itself has too many question marks, and while sometimes this is intentional (people will do “Unrealistic Mock Draft” articles), in this case it seems to be in error.
That’s not a shot at Reid, who does his research and understands the prospects and the process. Perhaps the draft was done hastily, and some things got overlooked or were poorly calculated. This is most evident in the New York Jets’ process and the selection (or lack of) of quarterbacks in this iteration. This draft will be revised several times before the actual event in April, but since it’s out there now, here are some of the issues.
The Jordan Reid Mock Draft Ignores Sound Strategy For The Jets
The Jets have lived in the basement of the AFC East for so long that they are no longer renting it; they paid for it in cash. Bad ownership, bad front office moves, and bad coaching have doomed this team year after year. By most accounts, they had a solid 2026 NFL Draft and got some good young players to build on. They also brought in quarterback Geno Smith for pennies on the dollar ($3.3 million cap hit in 2026).
Despite all that, they are still gunning to be the bottom of the heap this season and have already started eyeballing the quarterback class of 2027. It may not be a surprise that Reid has them taking CJ Carr out of Notre Dame with the third overall pick. The issue with the pick is twofold. First and foremost, is CJ Carr really the third-best quarterback in the class (after Dante Moore and Arch Manning)?
Reid did not consider Julian Sayin at three, despite having other underclassmen in his draft, and Sayin is rated as a better prospect on sites like ClutchPoints, Tankathon, and Draft Buzz. In fact, he doesn’t have the Ohio State quarterback getting picked in the first round (more on that later). Sain had a better completion percentage than Carr last year (77 to 66.6), more yards per game (257.9 to 228.4), more touchdowns (32 to 24), and a better passer rating (177.5 to 168.1). Both players had 4:1 touchdown-to-interception ratios.
How did Carr leapfrog Sayin, and why is the latter not in the first round at all? Scouts and media are torn on both prospects, since they both have just one year of starting experience, and with this selection, Reid made it clear who he favors. That goes to the next point. Why take Carr at three, when he isn’t considered a “can’t miss” prospect? With three first-round picks in a loaded quarterback class, wouldn’t it make more sense to draft a generational playmaker like Jeremiah Smith at three, and use a later pick on a quarterback?
According to Reid, Sayin, Darrian Mensah, and Drew Mestemaker (all rated higher than Carr in several publications) will still be on the board at the start of round two. They actually won’t be, but at least one of them will be there for the Jets’ next pick, or the one after that. What makes Carr so special?
Only Three Quarterbacks in Round One?
Reid has Dante Moore going first in his mock draft, followed by Manning and Carr, then no quarterbacks selected for the next 29 picks. Are these really the only quarterback-needy teams in the draft, or does he think that poorly of the rest of the class? Sayin, Mensah, and Mestemaker will all likely go in round one, but teams that could use any one of them apparently take positions more important?
This begins at pick seven, where Reid has the Carolina Panthers selecting Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore. If that’s the pick they are making, then Reid must assume they work out a long-term deal with Bryce Young (something they’ve been hesitant to do until he proves himself). Either that, or he thinks they have no quarterback going into the draft and feel Cornerback is a more valuable position.
The same can be said for the Falcons at 11. They are having the ugliest quarterback battle in NFL history. It’s so bad that NBA commissioner Adam Silver would fine them for tanking before week one if he were charged. With a chance to get a talented signal-caller for their young and athletic offense in a wide-open NFC South, they opt for a tackle (Trevor Goosby from Texas).
The Minnesota Vikings at 13 take tight end Tre-Dez Green out of LSU. Tight end? Is Kyler Murray or JJ McCarthy the answer there? The Steelers have the next pick and love Will Howard or Drew Allar, because they take a safety. There’s not going to be another quarterback-rich class like this for a decade, and Pittsburgh, which hasn’t had a losing season since before records were kept, is handing the keys to their franchise to giant question marks, instead of picking someone with blue-ribbon pedigree.
Needless to say, the entire draft was a head-scratcher. Thankfully, Reid has eight months to get it right before Roger Goodell announces the first pick.
