The Jets so desperately need a quarterback -- not just because everyone needs one but because of their abject history with them -- that you could hardly blame them if they signed Kirk Cousins and then plucked one in the first round of next month's NFL draft. Not a sound business practice, even if they are around $90 million under the salary cap, but Gang Green must do something to break this gruesome hex at the most important position in pro football. Assuming Cousins decides to take less money to play for a more robust roster (such as Denver or Minnesota), the other NFL quarterbacks who are either free agents or being dangled as trade bait aren't nearly as palatable. AJ McCarron, Nick Foles and Case Keenum are, at best, plug-ins for already-loaded clubs, and hence are not long-term solutions for New York. Twent y-five-year-old Teddy Bridgewater is out there, but there's no telling what kind of quarterback he'll be after suffereing a devastating injury and sitting out two seasons.
Thus, the Jets are left in a familiar spot -- a high pick in the draft, and nothing else but their wit and will. The Jets have the No. 6 pick this year. In recent years, they scored fairly well in similar spots by drafting Leonard Williams and Jamal Adams, both of whom should play in a few Pro Bowls before long. But as gifted as they may be, their reach is limited because of the position they play on the field. So the Jets know if they're going to turn this football tanker around in any meaningful way, they need a leader, a thrower, a QB. The latest mock draft from CBSSports.com has all kinds of mayhem in the top 10, with the Giants trading up to the top spot to bag Josh Allen, who wasn't even one of the top two quarterbacks two weeks ago, until he started chucking 70-yard darts at the Combine. They have the Browns grabbing Sam Darnold at No. 4 and Denver stealing Josh Rosen at the fifth spot. Since no mock draft is perfect, let's assume the Jets either will have a shot at Rosen or Darnold or at least must make a deal to inch up a rung or two. For all of Allen's size (6 feet 5 inches, 235 pounds) and arm talent, he had a woeful completion percentage at Wyoming (56.3 percent and just 16 TDs in 2017), where he should have feasted on more emaciated defenses. If the Browns or Giants gobble up Allen at the top spot, they're doing the Jets a favor. CBSSports.com has the Jets selecting Quenton Nelson, the Notre Dame guard who will likely be a stud for the next decade. But that pick is pointless if he's blocking for Bryce Petty. Nelson is only sensible if Cousins is the QB. Should the Jets lose the Cousins sweepstakes, they must do all they can to scoop Darnold or Rosen. Forget North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb or Alabama cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick, or even the seductive talents of Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, who seems to have the size of a linebacker and the feet of Reggie Bush. Darnold is likely the safest pick because of his size (6-4, 220 pounds) and arm strength. When the wind starts whipping across the Meadowlands, you need a large man under center who can throw darts into the turbulent winter dusk. (Darnold completed 63.1 percent of his passes for USC last year, with 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.) Darnold not only looks like an NFL quarterback, he already sounds like one. Unlike Oklahoma Baker Mayfield, who's telling anyone who will listen that he can turn any franchise around, Darnold has the more muted confidence that the really good ones all seem to have, their chests out but their mouths carefully manicured. Rosen has his own appeal. Not quite as big as Allen or Darnold, Rosen is consider the most pro-ready of the bunch because of his accuracy. He has the height (6-4), but not the girth (218 pounds). Some NFL scouts are off Rosen because they feel he's too slight and injury prone. Frankly, that feels like something a few months in an NFL weight room could fix. If you're worried about Rosen's size and durability, that's one thing. If you're worried about his loquacious nature or his well-heeled family, don't be. The fact that Rosen is engaged in the current socioeconomic climate would only add to his appeal. The fact that his dad (a surgeon) is a man of means does not mean the younger Rosen won't have the guts or guile to play pro football. Sports are now littered with iconic athletes -- from Eli and Peyton Manning to Steph Curry and Grant Hill -- who hardly lived hand-to-mouth as kids. The Jets have to hit a home run in April. Not only because you can't win without a fine quarterback, but also to wipe their palate clean of all the ugly headlines. They need something to remove the foul taste of Sheldon Richardson, Robby Anderson and Dylan Donahue, all of whom have been arrested on charges of some seriously dumb and illegal driving. (Richardson is gone, but Anderson and Donahue have taken his reckless baton.) Draft Darnold or Rosen. Deal. Do what it takes to get one of them. Don't become prisoners of the moment. Don't fall for Combine heroes such as Allen or Mayfield, both of whom look great in T-shirts and under a dome with no hulking edge rushers hunting them. Stick to the guys who have the size, skill and film to back it up.