The Jets landed their quarterback this week. Now, we’ll see if they can find someone to protect him.
This year’s NFL draft feels like something of an afterthought for the Jets after the excitement of the Aaron Rodgers trade, but that does not mean it is not critical for Joe Douglas to land some talent to help Rodgers deliver the Super Bowl trophy he spoke about Wednesday.
The Jets dropped from the No. 13 overall pick to No. 15 in the trade with the Packers this week.
The belief is still the Jets will target an offensive tackle to help solidify the blockers in front of Rodgers.
But moving to No. 15 could mean the top four tackles — Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr., Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, Georgia’s Broderick Jones and Tennessee’s Darnell Wright — are gone before the Jets make their selection.
“At the end of the day, we needed to have 13 players we were excited about and now we have to have 15 players that we’re really excited about and I feel comfortable with that,” Douglas said.
Assistant general manager Rex Hogan said the trade does not change anything for the Jets.
“No true effect, our board still stays the same,” Hogan said. “We’ll continue to follow along the process and with the way we’ve built the roster, it gives us some flexibility to go whatever direction we want with the player that is available.”
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The Jets don’t have as many needs as they have had in the past, but the offensive line is a glaring one.
Douglas vowed to fix the offensive line when he was hired in 2019 and he has used two first-round picks on offensive linemen already, but the unit still has holes.
“I think we have a really good culture in place on this team and there is a standard in terms of the effort, strain and violence that our line needs to play with and we’re going to take every opportunity that we can to add those type of players when they become available,” Douglas said. “I don’t think I’m ever going to sit here and tell you that I am satisfied with where we are on the offensive or defensive line. I don’t think I’m ever going to say that to you because I feel like we’re always going to be able to get a little better, but it’s always going to be a strong focus for us.”
If the offensive linemen are gone, Douglas may look to trade back to acquire more picks or take Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who has been linked to the Jets recently. They also could use help at defensive tackle. Clemson’s Bryan Bresee and Pittsburgh’s Calijah Kancey could be targets.
A year ago, Douglas nailed the draft and took Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson in the first round. They went on to win Defensive and Offensive Rookie of the Year, respectively.
We’ll see if Douglas has an encore in him and how he can help his new quarterback.
