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The first Jets draft of the Joe Douglas era is in the books. How did he do? We’ll tell you in three years. It is impossible to know how these draft picks will pan out, but you can evaluate on logic, and Douglas made some moves that were clearly smart and a couple that raised …
The first Jets draft of the Joe Douglas era is in the books.
How did he do? We’ll tell you in three years.
It is impossible to know how these draft picks will pan out, but you can evaluate on logic, and Douglas made some moves that were clearly smart and a couple that raised some eyebrows. But he showed an ability to maneuver through the 2020 NFL Draft, making three total trades. He went into this draft with eight picks, ended up making nine and also acquiring a veteran player.
“My main objective was to try to make this team better,” Douglas said. “I feel like we added a lot of quality football players, quality people. I think we’re better after this weekend than we were before the draft started.”
The Jets wanted to give quarterback Sam Darnold protection and playmakers. They did that in the first two rounds with Mekhi Becton and Denzel Mims, then added depth at other positions after that.
“We got the right kind of guys and we got a lot of positions that we were kind of thin at or missing filled,” coach Adam Gase said. “I feel like it turned out as good as we could have hoped for.”
On Day 3 of the draft, Douglas showed how much he values character. All five of the draft picks made Saturday were captains of their college team. That makes six in all in the draft, along with their first-round pick Becton.
On Saturday, Douglas selected Florida running back La’Mical Perine, Florida International quarterback James Morgan and Charlotte tackle Cameron Clark in the fourth round. He chose Virginia cornerback Bryce Hall in the fifth and Texas A&M punter Braden Mann in the sixth. He traded the Jets’ final pick of the day (No. 211 overall) to the Colts in exchange for cornerback Quincy Wilson.
Douglas chose five offensive players, three defensive and one special teams in his first draft. He addressed needs like offensive line and wide receiver, though an argument can be made he should have taken more than one receiver. Picking safety Ashtyn Davis in the third round and taking a backup quarterback in the fourth round will be questioned. The Jets believe Davis can be a versatile weapon for defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, able to play multiple spots, and be a special teams standout.
Morgan was the surprise of Saturday. The Jets entered the draft with Sam Darnold, David Fales and Mike White as their quarterbacks. Morgan, who is a few months older than Darnold, can be a developmental quarterback who could become a longtime backup. But taking him in the fourth round will cause debate. Could they have waited until later in the draft and taken a player who could contribute immediately? Is Morgan worth a fourth-round pick? Pro Football Focus gave him a seventh-round grade. Others did have him as high as the fourth and fifth round.
• Jets’ NFL Draft tracker: Live round-by-round picks and analysis
“We had a real comfort level with James,” Douglas said. “This is a young man that’s extremely intelligent, has the physical tools you’re looking for. You guys have heard me say it before that quarterback is the most important position in all of professional sports. You can never have enough.
“You need to have depth at that position especially, as we found out last year.”
The Jets may have gotten a steal in the fifth round with Hall, who was projected as a possible first-round pick after his 2018 season at Virginia when he led the nation in pass break-ups. He broke his ankle and tore a tendon in October, though, ending his senior season and requiring surgery. That caused him to plummet in the draft. The Jets are confident he will be recovered in time for this season.
“He’ll be ready to roll,” Douglas said.
If Hall can regain his pre-injury form, he could help shore up a position that is a poor one for the Jets. In addition to Hall, the Jets added Wilson at cornerback in the trade with the Colts. Wilson was a second-round pick in 2017 by the Colts but has started just 10 games for Indianapolis.
The Jets’ last actual pick of the day was Mann, who won the Ray Guy Award last year as the nation’s top punter. The Jets are moving on from Lachlan Edwards. Mann will be their punter and could kick off, too.
The Jets have been terrible in the NFL draft for the last decade. Jets owner Christopher Johnson hired Douglas last June in large part to fix that. We won’t know for a while if he accomplished the mission over the last three days.
