Lammey: Jets may have forced Broncos hand by trading for No. 3 pick
Mar 19, 2018, 12:00 AM | Updated: 3:51 am
Dealing the No. 3 pick to the New York Jets may have been a “pleasure” for the Indianapolis Colts, but the leapfrog move may give the Denver Broncos some draft pain.
The Jets moved from No. 6 — past the Cleveland Browns at No. 4 and Broncos at No. 5 — on Saturday, giving the Colts the No. 6 pick, two second-round picks this year and a second-round pick next year.
Where this might affect Denver, Cecil Lammey reports, is the pick is likely for a quarterback and could cause a ripple effect within the top five selections.
“The Jets are being the aggressor here. Why? Because it’s a QB,” Lammey said Saturday. “I think it’s Baker Mayfield. I’m told to watch out for their interest in Josh Allen.”
The buzz around the Broncos plan for free agency and the draft coming out of the Senior Bowl, Lammey said, was to pursue quarterback Case Keenum and draft highly-touted running back Saquon Barkley.
Denver can check off one of those boxes, but the Barkley plan may need a bit of finessing.
“The Broncos plan has to change after this move by the Jets. If you wanted Saquon Barkley at No. 5, the Giants sitting there at No. 2, they may go Josh Rosen. They also may go Saquon Barkley,” Lammey said.
Lammey said it’s unclear if the Giants — who hold the pick between the Jets at No. 3 and the first of two Browns picks at No. 1 — would want to draft Barkley after signing veteran running back Jonathan Stewart this offseason.
But if they do, the Jets may target Denver’s potential backup plan — Mayfield.
“The Broncos were the most represented team at Baker Mayfield’s pro day. Now, John Elway, GM. One of the few GMs who were there. Who else was there? (Mike) Maccagnan, the Jets’ GM,” Lammey said.
“This is for Baker Mayfield, in my opinion.”
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.
