The suspension of rising tight end Chris Herndon for the first four games of the season will put a dent in the offense for the New York Jets. His pass-catching ability and blocking skills will be missed, but the Jets did draft a potential draft steal in Trevon Wesco.
With the 121st overall pick in the fourth round, the Jets drafted who NFL analyst Brian Baldinger calls, “BabyGronk.”
.@nyjets @TrevonWesco congratulations on picking this #Mountaineer. This is BabyGronk. The Adam Gase Playbook just expanded 25%. #BaldysBreakdowns
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) April 27, 2019
While this is certainly an optimistic statement, Wesco is a mountain of a man, standing at 6’3″ and roughly 270 pounds. Using his size to be a three-position player (Y,F, and H), he can be an impact player on a Jets team that will miss Herndon during his suspension.
The offense doesn’t have a proven backup and it will hurt the play-calls Sam Darnold can run, but Wesco might be able to open the playbook back up.
The New York Jets need their rookie TE to develop quickly:
Wesco is behind on the depth chart — he will need to beat out Eric Tomlinson and Ryan Griffin to earn reps, but his size might be enticing enough to get him on the field. Tomlinson has been known for missed assignments and drive-killing penalties.
The West Virginia product was a great option for Will Grier last season, hauling in 26 passes for 366 yards in 10 games (Sports-Reference). His frame could make for a solid red zone target for Darnold in the passing game. The Jets’ quarterback doesn’t have a true red-zone target, but I imagine they will look to utilize Le’Veon Bell early and often in those situations.
Back-to-back Mountaineers taken in the 4th-round of the #NFLDraft.
Enjoy some Trevon Wesco highlights as the TE is heading to NYC to join the @nyjets. #TakeFlight pic.twitter.com/i6yHFIql85
— Stadium (@Stadium) April 27, 2019