Jets' Rooting Guide for 2022 NFL Draft Implications of Week 11

The New York Jets are starting Joe Flacco against a Miami Dolphins team that has won two games in a row. That's as good an indication as any that it's time to start thinking about the 2022 NFL draft.

The Jets showed some signs of life with a 34-31 win over Cincinnati in Week 8, but they weren't able to parlay that into more success. They have lost their past two games by a combined score of 90-47 and are now turning the offense over to a 36-year-old quarterback who is 2-10 in his last 10 starts going back to 2019.

In short, the Jets are better off losing their game against the Dolphins to help their chances of snagging the best possible draft pick in order to continue the rebuild that is clearly not finished.

They also have another first-round pick to worry about as they have still have the Seattle Seahawks' first-rounder from the Jamal Adams trade. A place in the playoffs is long gone, but fans can still keep an eye on games around the league in hopes of landing the best haul of draft picks possible.

So while Jets fans might have mixed feelings about Sunday's matchup with the Dolphins, they have some other games they can feel better about having a rooting interest in this weekend.

1. Detroit Lions (0-8-1)
2. Houston Texans (1-8)
3. New York Jets (2-7)
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7)
5. Philadelphia Eagles (from Miami 3-7)
6. New York Giants (3-6)
7. New York Jets (from Seattle 3-6)
8. New York Giants (from Chicago 3-6)
9. Washington Football Team (3-6)
10. Atlanta Falcons (4-6)
11. Philadelphia Eagles (4-6)
12. Miami Dolphins (from San Francisco 4-5)
13. Minnesota Vikings (4-5)
14. Denver Broncos (5-5)
15. Philadelphia Eagles (from Indianapolis 5-5)*
16. Cleveland Browns (5-5)
17. Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)
18. Las Vegas Raiders (5-4)
19. Carolina Panthers (5-5)
20. Los Angeles Chargers (5-4)
21. New Orleans Saints (5-4)
22. Kansas City Chiefs (6-4)
23. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3-1)
24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3)
25. New England Patriots (7-4)
26. Baltimore Ravens (6-3)
27. Detroit Lions (from L.A. Rams 7-3)
28. Dallas Cowboys (7-2)
29. Buffalo Bills (6-3)
30. Arizona Cardinals (8-2)
31. Tennessee Titans (8-2)
32. Green Bay Packers (8-2)

                

Current order via Tankathon.

*The Indianapolis Colts' first-round pick goes to the Eagles if Carson Wentz plays more than 75 percent of the offensive snaps or 70 percent and the team makes the playoffs.

At 2-7, the Jets are in play for the No. 2 pick. The top pick is most likely going to Detroit. Had they found a way to beat the Steelers without Ben Roethlisberger in overtime, there could be hope they would play themselves out of the top pick, but that just doesn't seem possible.

So for right now, the Jets are behind only the Houston Texans for the second overall pick. The next two weeks will be crucial in determining the draft order. The Jets get the 3-7 Dolphins, whose pick is currently fifth, then follow it up with Houston, who is 1-8 and picking second right now.

That's followed up by the 4-6 Philadelphia Eagles. So if the Jets are going to gain any positive momentum in the win column, it's going to happen now.

As for the team's second first-round pick, it's also projecting to be in the top 10. Seattle has struggled this season, and playing in the NFC West isn't going to help. They still have to play the Rams and 49ers and the Cardinals twice.

They have now lost four of their past five games and were shut out in Russell Wilson's return. The Seahawks' misery is a delight for the Jets.

49ers at Jaguars (1 p.m. ET)

Urban Meyer's tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars isn't off to the greatest of starts, but the team is showing signs of life. One week after stunning the Buffalo Bills 9-6, they took the Colts to the wire in a 23-17 loss.

That's an encouraging sign for the Jets' draft hopes. They are locked in a battle with Meyer's team for the right to the second selection, and the Jags' recent performances, especially on defense, give them a chance to pick up a few more wins before the season ends.

That begins with the Niners, who have dealt with inconsistency from the beginning of the season. Yes, this is the team that just beat the Los Angeles Rams, but it's also the team that lost four of five before that impressive performance.

The Jags have been particularly stingy against the pass of late, only giving up 168 yards through the air against the Colts, and they picked off Josh Allen twice in their upset win. Jimmy Garoppolo could struggle to find success against that defense. 

Another upset win for the Jags would help the Jets as both teams would have two wins and tiebreakers would come into play.

          

Cardinals at Seahawks (4:25 p.m. ET)

This one is straightforward. The Jets own the Seahawks' pick, and the Cardinals are already Super Bowl contenders. The odds are stacked in the Jets' favor here—they'll be rooting for the Cardinals.

It isn't a done deal that Arizona will be victorious, though. They've dropped two of the last three, including an ugly 34-10 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Of course, the absence of Kyler Murray in the lineup could have had a lot to do with that.

The quarterback missed the game as he continues to recover from an ankle injury. However, he said he's "pretty close" to playing this week, per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.

The Seahawks have a returning quarterback of their own in Russell Wilson. He came back into the team against the Packers last week, but he didn't look himself against a strong defense, going 20-of-40 for 161 yards with two picks.

As long as Murray doesn't look like that in his return, the Cardinals should help the Jets out Sunday.

           

Giants at Buccaneers (Monday night, 8:15 p.m. ET)

With three wins on the season, the Giants are lurking just behind the Jets in the draft order, but they have some decent upside over the back half of the season. That's because they may finally start getting healthy on the offensive side of the ball.

Think what you will about Daniel Jones, but the Giants have done what they can to surround their quarterback with weapons. Saquon Barkley, Kenny Golladay, Evan Engram, Kadarius Toney and Sterling Shepard provide a good and versatile core of weapons.

The problem is, they haven't all been available. All have missed at least one game, and the group has rarely, if ever, been on the field together this season.

That could be changing soon, though. Jordan Raanan of ESPN reported that Shepard is the only one of the team's top weapons who will likely not play on Monday night.

The bad news is they play the Bucs, but that isn't necessarily a death sentence. Last season, the Giants only lost to Tom Brady's team 25-23, and they happen to be catching Tampa off back-to-back losses to the Saints and Washington Football Team.

A Giants win against the Bucs would likely mean one less team that could end up jumping the Jets in the draft order.