Last offseason, the New York Jets’ 2024 NFL Draft class was a mixed bag. Initially perceived as a great class, the returns weren’t as exciting as fans had hoped in year one.
However, the Jets ultimately brought in a group of players that could hopefully help more down the line than have an immediate impact. After one season, it’s interesting to reevaluate this class as they enter their second season.
The Jets added a foundational piece in the first round
So far, first-round offensive lineman Olu Fashanu out of Penn State seems to be the best pick out of this class for the Jets.
Fashanu is a very talented player who is capable of being the Jets’ left tackle for the future. He will develop along with the rest of this young Jets offensive line and hopes to mold into a high-quality player.
This season, Fashanu played multiple positions for the Jets. In total, he had a little over 500 snaps played, with one sack surrendered, and seven penalties committed.
However, he wasn’t graded highly by Pro Football Focus (PFF), but that doesn’t fully tell the story of Fashanu’s season. He is an overall solid tackle, who is young and moldable. He will develop into a key contributor for the Jets.
Braelon Allen could play a bigger role in 2025
Braelon Allen was a fun selection from this draft class, and so far, he has panned out exactly as they had hoped. The Jets’ front office has to be pleased with what they saw the Allen, who had just under 500 yards with three touchdowns in his first season for New York.
Allen could see an increase in usage next season, as new head coach Aaron Glenn has talked about using multiple running backs. This will be interesting to see, and especially cool to see the mix-up between the runners.
Allen is a big, powerful runner, so he should see plenty of goal-line and short-yardage carries. He likes to lower his shoulder, and with a 6-foot-1, 235-pound frame, he could easily do just that.
Allen has plenty of room for development, being just 21 years old, and could see a jump in production this season.
Will the Jets get usage out of Malachi Corley?
Coming out of the draft, I loved the Malachi Corley pick. I envisioned him being a lesser version of Deebo Samuel for the Jets, as he can be deployed just about everywhere on an offense.
But this really didn’t come to fruition for the 23-year-old. Coming out of Western Kentucky University, Corley was a hard-nosed, physical runner with the football.
He was able to maneuver his way through the defense, and when there wasn’t a hole, he’d try to run the opposition over. I expected this to transition in some fashion, but he never got the opportunity as a rookie.
Corley still has plenty of potential, even though this might have been a weaker draft class for the Jets.
The Jets should find ways to get Corley involved this season. Running sweep options with Corley as the jet-motion guy would create a dynamic offense for the Jets.
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