The New York Jets found themselves in an enviable position during the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Holding the No. 10 overall selection, New York reportedly had lots of trade interest in its pick before ultimately swapping the No. 11 and 203 overall picks with the Minnesota Vikings for picks No. 11, 129 and 157.
But it was recently revealed during the NFL Network docuseries “NFL Draft: The Pick Is In” that before the Jets and Vikings worked out their deal, the Los Angeles Rams aggressively tried to move up to New York’s selection to reportedly take Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, according to The 33rd Team.
A clip of the interaction is below.
L.A. offered its No. 19 and 52 overall selections, but Jets general manager Joe Douglas informed Rams GM Les Snead that he wasn’t comfortable moving back that far in the first round.
The Jets ended up drafting Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu, who likely would have been off the board at pick No. 19. Conversely, the Rams picked Florida State defensive end Jared Verse with their selection, with Bowers coming off the board at pick No. 13 to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Fashanu gives the Jets strong depth at offensive tackle behind Tyron Smith, who signed as a free agent, and Morgan Moses, who was acquired from the Baltimore Ravens via trade earlier in the offseason.
Though they missed out on Bowers, the Rams still have a solid tight end in Tyler Higbee, who’s averaged 82 targets, 58 receptions, 586 yards and four touchdowns per season over the last five years.
