Mike Francesa Knows Who Jets Should Draft At No. 10 Overall

NEW YORK, NY – JULY 06: Chris Russo and Mike Francesa (pictured) of ‘Mike and the Mad Dog’ get together for a SiriusXM Town Hall hosted by Chazz Palminteri at SiriusXM Studios on July 6, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

Mike Francesa has a clear preference for the New York Jets’ first-round draft pick.

The longtime sports radio icon stated on his podcast that the Jets shouldn’t think twice about taking Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt if he’s on the board at No. 10.

“If they don’t take him, they should be shot,” Francesa declared, courtesy of Funhouse. “And if Alt’s there, pop the champagne corks. Because that will be a home run.”

Francesa called Alt a “can’t-miss player” who could start for a decade with multiple All-Pro designations. He believes there’s a “50-50” chance Alt falls to the Jets.

However, Francesa might be setting unrealistic expectations for Gang Green fans.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, Eric Edholm, Charles Davis, and Daniel Jeremiah all have the Tennessee Titans drafting Alt at No. 7. Bucky Brooks predicted Jim Harbaugh making him the first choice of his Los Angeles Chargers tenure with the No. 5 selection.

Former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum also paired Alt with the Chargers in his latest mock draft. It makes sense considering Harbaugh recently espoused the importance of a strong offensive line.

The unit was an area of need for the Jets last offseason, but moving down from No. 13 to 15 in the Aaron Rodgers trade cost them a chance to draft Broderick Jones. They’re in better shape after acquiring Morgan Moses from the Baltimore Ravens and signing Tyron Smith, but they may still desire more long-term stability.

Perhaps they’ll have better luck with Alt, who ranks No. 5 on Pro Football Focus’ big board after garnering the second-best grade (90.7) of all college offensive tackles in 2023. If Alt is gone, it’s unclear if Francesa would recommend capital punishment for passing on Penn State’s Olumuyiwa Fashanu.