2013 NFL Draft: First Round Predictions for the New York Jets

This will serve as an official prediction thread for what will happen for the Jets tomorrow night. I will make my predictions. You can make yours below in the comments. Odds are none of us will be right. It is all guesswork. Even more, every pick changes everything. Every single selection will create a butterfly effect that will impact the other 31 teams in the league.

For an example, think back to 2009. The Jets traded up to the fifth slot to take Mark Sanchez. There was thinking Seattle would take Sanchez with the fourth pick. Had they done that, the Jets wouldn't have traded up. They might have stayed at 17 and taken Clay Matthews. Green Bay would have in turn taken a player that another team actually took. Aaron Curry would have fallen. Some team would have taken Curry, bumping another player down. So any prediction might be moot by the time the second pick rolls around.

For what little it is worth, here is my best guess as to how tomorrow night plays out.

The Jets take Barkevious Mingo with the 9th pick.

Make no mistake. This is a Rex pick. There is talk that Rex Ryan loves Mingo. It's not hard to see why. Mingo would give Rex the explosive edge rusher he has lacked ever since he arrived with the Jets.

The Jets trade the 13th pick to the 49ers for the 31st, 34th, and a third day pick or two.

The Niners are going to be in the business of trading up. They have 13 picks, but their roster is so deep that there is no way all 13 could make their team. Their early picks from last year didn't see much playing time. They are in a position to take quality over quantity. This represents nice balance for the Jets. They got Rex a high quality toy on defense. Now John Idzik can compile a few other picks to give the roster some needed depth.

The Jets trade the 31st pick to the Rams along with their third round pick and a third day pick for the 22th pick.

There's a player the Jets want at 22. Because of what the trade with the Niners netted them, the Jets can make this deal and still come out ahead.

The Jets take E.J. Manuel with the 22nd pick.

This is just a guess, but I think Manuel might be the quarterback the Jets want. I think back to Rex Ryan's season ending press conference. He said he wants an "all weather offense." He said this meant he wanted the kind of offense that can attack you in any way imaginable. Manuel has the most diverse skill set of any quarterback in this Draft. He puts the most on the table scheme wise. With Manuel, there have been reports of the Jets doing a close examination of him, but you don't hear a lot of noise about it like you do about Ryan Nassib. That might mean something.

Those are my predictions. What are yours?