Jets draft Jordan Travis: How the QB fits and scouting intel

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Jordan Travis was wiping away tears as his camera turned on and his first news conference as an NFL player was about to begin. Five months ago, he broke his leg. It ended his prolific Florida State career and ruined his NFL Draft stock.

But these were tears of joy.

All he wanted was a shot.

"It's a freakin' dream come true," Travis said. "It still hasn't hit me yet, man. My emotions are kind of everywhere. It's been such a journey."

The Jets wanted to add a quarterback on Day 3 to develop behind Aaron Rodgers and Tyrod Taylor, and they've had their eye on Travis throughout the process. They hosted him for a dinner in his hometown and he visited the team facility in Florham Park, too, spending time with passing game coordinator Todd Downing. The Jets traded Nos. 185 and 190 to the Philadelphia Eagles to get him in Saturday's fifth round, 171st overall.

The Athletic's Dane Brugler graded Travis as the 11th-best quarterback in this class.

Here's everything to know about the Jets' new third quarterback.

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'The Beast' breakdown

Travis was No. 200 in Brugler's Top 300 big board. Here's what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:

"Travis is a tough, bursty athlete with elusive scrambling skills and fearless decision-making. Though he showed improvements each season as a passer, his inconsistencies with placement and processing pop up on every tape. Overall, Travis is a competitive and creative dual-threat quarterback, but the sporadic elements to his game and average size/arm limit his NFL upside. He projects as a No. 2 or 3 option best-suited for a rhythm offense."

"This may be the steal of the draft." - @MJD#NFLDraft on NFLN/ABC pic.twitter.com/tQV6E3huxz

— New York Jets (@nyjets) April 27, 2024

Why he's a fifth-round pick

Travis finished his career as one of the most productive quarterbacks in Florida State history, tops in total offense (10,665 yards) and total touchdowns (99). He was on his way to a historic season for the Seminoles in 2023 before suffering a broken leg in a November game against Northern Alabama. Still, Travis finished his final season with 2,756 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and only two interceptions, adding seven rushing touchdowns. He finished fifth in Heisman voting and even received eight first-place votes.

If not for the injury, it's fair to wonder if he'd have been picked much higher.

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Jets NFL Draft picks 2024: Grades, fits and scouting reports

How he fits

The Jets have spent much of the 2024 NFL Draft making picks for the long-term — and Travis certainly falls into that bucket. Even if he were healthy, he'd have started his career as the team's third-string quarterback and inactive on game day. Jets general manager Joe Douglas said recently that he wants to become a "quarterback factory," adding a new quarterback every year to develop — and Travis is the first member of that experiment. He'll have the opportunity to sit back and learn from Rodgers for at least one season and maybe down the line he can at least become a top-level backup — if not more.

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Rookie impact

Unless all hell breaks loose and both Rodgers and Taylor get injured, minimal. The Jets don't want to see Travis take the field in an NFL game this season. This will be a redshirt year of sorts, allowing him to completely rehab his injury while taking a crash course in how to play quarterback in the NFL with Rodgers, one of the best players to ever do it.

"I have loved watching Aaron Rodgers since I was a little boy," Travis said. "My brother's favorite quarterback. I've always watched him. To have an opportunity to go work with him and learn from him is such a blessing, man. I'm so grateful and I can't even describe this feeling."

Depth-chart impact

The Jets' depth chart at quarterback is already locked in: 1. Rodgers, 2. Taylor and 3. Travis. It's unclear if Travis will be ready for training camp coming off his injury, so the Jets could consider bringing in another quarterback — perhaps an undrafted free agent — to be an extra camp arm.

They also could have picked …

The Jets showed some interest in the pre-draft process in Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt and he was still on the board when Douglas snagged Travis. Brugler rated Pratt as the eighth-best quarterback prospect and gave him a third-/fourth-round draft grade.

Fast evaluation

The Jets telegraphed that they would add a quarterback at some point in this draft, and it seemed like the choices came down to Pratt or Travis in the end. The Jets went with Travis, who brings a different flavor as a mobile quarterback adept at evading pressure and making plays, even if he's far from a perfect prospect without the injuries.

"Playmaker. That's the main thing: I make plays when everything breaks down," Travis said. "I'm just a baller. I'm a competitor. Every single time I get on the field I want to dominate the guy across from me. A winner. That's the main thing for me: I fell in love with winning so much and I hate losing."

(Photo: James Gilbert / Getty Images)

Zack Rosenblatt is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the New York Jets. Before joining The Athletic, he worked as a staff writer for The Star-Ledger, where he covered the Eagles and Giants. He also covered the Arizona Wildcats for the Arizona Daily Star. He's a graduate of the University of Arizona and is originally from Cherry Hill, N.J. Follow Zack on Twitter @ZackBlatt