The draft is only three weeks away, and the speculation is heating up. Our weekly New York Jets mailbag looks ahead to the big day:

What do you believe is the ultimate best scenario with the QB situation for the Jets in the eyes of Maccagnan & Bowles? From the draft to Week 1 of the 2018 season? #jetsmail — Ryan Blake (@Sports_Fi3nd) April 6, 2018

@RichCimini: So, Ryan, you want to know the ultimate best-case scenario, as opposed to just the best-case scenario? The UBCS is foreign territory for the Jets, but -- what the heck? -- let's give it a shot.

I'm not pretending I know how the draft board is stacked -- still waiting for Mike Maccagnan's invitation to the war room -- but I talk to smart people and try to connect dots. That said, I'm predicting Baker Mayfield at No. 3 -- as of now. That could change before draft day. I know, I know, you've seen Josh Rosen-to-the-Jets in a lot of mock drafts, but I really think they like Mayfield. Yeah, there's some risk involved because of his size (a shade under 6-foot-1) and spread-offense roots, but he's also a winner with uncanny accuracy.

The UBCS would be for Mayfield to win the starting job for Week 1, but that's simply not realistic. Coach Todd Bowles will play the quarterback who gives him the best chance to win, and the organization believes Josh McCown still is that guy. They're not paying him $10 million to carry the clipboard for 16 games. Best case: McCown wins the job and hands the baton to Mayfield at some point during the season. See: the 2004 New York Giants, Kurt Warner to Eli Manning.

Teddy Bridgewater? The UBCS would be a healthy knee, a lights-out performance in the preseason and a trade to a team that loses its starter to injury. They wouldn't get a lot for Bridgewater because he's signed for only one year, but he'd be worth something to a desperate team.

On April 26, we'll start to see how it really turns out.

#jetsmail Rich , do we trade Kearse for a 3rd and a 5th... I just see the Jets going with Pryor , Enunwa and Anderson ( post parole !) — Veddervader (@625forgings) April 6, 2018

@RichCimini: Yes, I could see the Jets shopping Jermaine Kearse during the draft, but your idea of possible compensation is inflated. There's no way they'd get third- and fifth-round picks for him. Kearse is coming off a career year (65 catches for 810 yards), and he's only 28 years old, but he's really a No. 3-type receiver -- and those guys don't fetch a lot in trades.

The downside to trading him is three-fold: Terrelle Pryor is rebounding from ankle surgery, Quincy Enunwa is coming off neck surgery, and Robby Anderson is looking at a possible suspension to start the season. Trading Kearse, their most accomplished receiver, would be risky.