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INDIANAPOLIS - It would be a great thing for the Jets if there's even the hint of a run on quarterbacks early in the NFL draft because it would drive up the market for anyone looking to trade for the third overall pick.
But you know what might be even better for the Jets? If Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray goes No. 1.
That could be a dream scenario for the Jets, who might be tempted to sit right where they are. Because if that happens - and multiple NFL people told SNY on Friday that they are convinced the Arizona Cardinals want to draft Murray No. 1 - it means Ohio State's Nick Bosa or Kentucky's Josh Allen would fall right into their laps.
Those are the two premier pass rushers in the draft, according to most NFL scouts and talent evaluators, and they have long been projected to go 1-2. That's one of the reasons the Jets will explore trading down, because there are plenty of great pass rushers on the next level.
But if Bosa or Allen are there?
Momentum is certainly building for that to happen. Even Raiders coach Jon Gruden this week said he'd be "shocked" if Murray is still available when the Raiders are on the clock at No. 4. The interest in the 5-10 1/8, 207-pound dynamo wasn't diminished at all this week by his decision not to work out at the combine. And history suggests that between the combine and the draft, interest in the quarterbacks will only continue to grow.
At the moment, according to several NFL sources, the Jets are definitely interested in trading down. They are expected to be very aggressive in free agency in pursuit of whichever top pass rushers aren't franchised by their current teams. Their top target, to no one's surprise, is likely to be Rams linebacker Dante Fowler, who they have tried to acquire in a trade several times in the last few years.
If they land Fowler, or someone like Detroit's Ezekiel Ansah, they will be comfortable dropping down in the draft and addressing another position. But again, that's based on the current conventional wisdom that Bosa and Allen will be gone.
The 6-4, 266-pound Bosa sat out most of last season after suffering a core muscle injury in the third week of the Buckeye's season. Before that, he was considered a Heisman candidate after being named the Big 10 Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2017 with eight sacks, despite only starting four games. He's considered the best defensive end - either 4-3 or 3-4 - in the draft.
The 6-4, 240-pound Allen, meanwhile, could be the draft's best pure pass rusher. He has uncommon speed and registered 31 ½ career sacks as a three-year starter in the SEC - including an incredible 17 as a senior last year.
If one of them falls, it's not crazy to think that the Jets could sign a guy like Fowler, draft a Bosa or Allen, and completely transform a pass rush that would now be able to unleash Leonard Williams, too.
The Jets have been the beneficiaries of that kind of good fortune before. In 2015, nobody thought Williams would slip to them at 6. Jamal Adams was a surprise at 6 in 2017. And when they traded up from 6 to 3 last year they did not think quarterback Sam Darnold would still be on the board.
This year, all it would take is the Arizona Cardinals doing what so many expect they'll do at the top of the draft with Murray. And suddenly the Jets could luck into having an unexpected star fall right into their hands again.