The New York Jets went 5-11 during the 2016 season and have spent the last week purging their roster of aging, big-money veterans. (Nick Mangold, Darrelle Revis, and Brandon Marshall have already been cast aside. Eric Decker, Sheldon Richardson, and more could be next.) So, it should come as no surprise that general manager Mike Maccagnan essentially told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Friday that he is looking to rebuild the team’s roster through the draft.
“Every draft I’ve been in, I’ve always wanted to acquire more picks,” Maccagnan said, per the Associated Press. “I think the one thing for ourselves would be, we would like to move back and acquire more picks in this draft if possible. ... We’re open for business in every round.
“If somebody wants to move up in any particular round, call us up.”
Maccagnan has not been afraid to move around in the draft during his previous two seasons as the Jets’ general manager, but saying that he’s always wanted to acquire more picks is somewhat disingenuous if you look at his record. He’s made six draft-day trades, and in only one of them did he acquire more picks than he gave up. By contrast, he’s moved up twice and traded three picks in exchange for players.
| Year | Traded | Received | Up/Down |
| 2015 | 70 | 82, 152, 229 | Down |
| 2015 | 104, 229 | 103 | Up |
| 2015 | 142 | Brandon Marshall, 224 | Player |
| 2015 | 224 | Zac Stacy | Player |
| 2016 | 157 | Ryan Clady, 235 | Player |
| 2016 | 2017 4th | 158 | Up |
The Jets are currently scheduled to pick at No. 6, 39, 70, 107, 150, 191, and 224. Per our calculations, they have the seventh-most draft capital of any team this season. The draft is largely a crapshoot, and studies have shown that trading down for additional selections is almost always a good move. With the Jets having so many holes on their roster, it makes sense that Maccagnan would be interested in doing exactly that.
