Roku NFL Draft series shows Vikings beat Rams for Jets’ No. 10 pick

The 2024 NFL Draft didn’t feature many trades, which left critics unhappy. There were still many surprises in the first round of the draft. This draft had the potential to be even more exciting as there were trades up in the air that didn’t come to fruition. 

One potential trade involved the Los Angeles Rams moving from the second half of the draft to No. 10 where the New York Jets had the pick. The Jets were potentially making a big change in the draft, but the Minnesota Vikings sniped the Rams from moving up to take Georgia tight end Brock Bower. Two picks later, Bowers went off the board to the Las Vegas Raiders. That trade would’ve made the Rams’ top-ten pick of Bowers one of the best overall picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Take a look at the behind-the-scenes footage of the Rams' pursuit of a trade-up in Roku's "NFL Draft: The Pick is In" documentary.

Roku NFL Draft series shows Rams' failed pursuit for Jets’ first-round pick

The Minnesota Vikings were desperate for JJ McCarthy 

It is no secret that the Minnesota Vikings were seriously selecting a rookie quarterback. Moving up one spot to take Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy was a bit of a reach, but they seriously wanted their quarterback. McCarthy might not be ready to start at the beginning of the 2024 NFL season, but head coach Kevin O’Connell believes that McCarthy transition to the NFL well after a small adjustment in life in the league. 

Had the Vikings waited one pick and seen if the Jets were to keep that, or the Rams were going to trade up and pick Bowers, they wouldn't have had to give up so much to get their potential future franchise quarterback. But, there was the risk that the Raiders or Denver Broncos would trade up for McCarthy, as they both could have taken a QB.

Minnesota feels confident in McCarthy’s ability and experience. These lost picks are considered an investment. 

Brock Bowers would have been a serious problem as a Los Angeles Ram

The Los Angeles Rams are always looking for ways to improve their offense. Despite seeing a shockingly huge production from first-year wide receiver Puka Nucua, head coach Sean McVay wanted to give the offense more efficiency in the short-to-mid-range yard plays. McVay and the team pushed hard for Bowers, not once, but twice. Bowers would have been a great complement to the Rams’ offense, which ranked 10th in the league in passing yards per game (239).

The Rams offered the 19th overall pick and the 52nd pick from the second round to the Jets to move up to 10. New York decided to give that pick to Minnesota. When the Rams failed to trade up to the 10th pick overall, the Rams tried again to trade to the 11th pick by giving up the 19th overall pick as well as the second and third-round picks.

The Jets ultimately refused to trade back anymore. The Rams chose to stick to the 19th overall pick where they would take Florida State defensive end Jared Verse.

Jets were looking to win now as opposed to building depth and security

The Jets got the most they could in the trade with the Vikings. New York got the 11th, 129th (fourth round) and 157th (fifth round) overall picks in exchange for the 10th overall pick and the 203rd overall pick (sixth round) picks. The Jets still got one of the top offensive tackles in the draft in Penn State’s Olu Fashanu. Two more tackles would be picked by the time the Rams picked at No. 19.

The Jets were desperate to make a pick for an offensive tackle due to the season and the injury of quarterback Aaron Rodgers early in the season. The offensive line was the position group that needed to be addressed for several years, as no quarterback could succeed. The selection of Fashanu was urgent to improve the offense significantly and keep Rodgers protected in the pocket. The good thing about Fashanu is that he won't need to be rushed into the starting lineup, as the Jets brought in proven veterans in Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses to secure both tackle spots.

The biggest knock on the trade declines is that the Jets needed second- and third-round picks for more depth and immediate young talent, something they lacked in the draft.