Content available exclusively for subscribers
If they handle this right, they could do something really special, and Joe Douglas knows this.
“We have a real opportunity in this draft, eight picks, four of the in the top 79,” Jets GM Joe Douglas said.
Douglas know if they play their cards right, with four picks in the top 79, it could have a huge impact on the Jets moving forward.
“We have seen real impact drafts make a big different in a short time,” Douglas said.
When you look at the history of the draft, every once in a while, GM’s come through with an elite class that fundamentally transforms a team.
Like the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers, who drafted wide receiver Lynn Swann in the first round, linebacker Jack Lambert in the second round, wide receiver John Stallworth in the fourth round and center Mike Webster in the fifth round. All four of these player ended up in the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame.
Of course, we aren’t expecting Joe Douglas to select four Hall-of-Fame players in one draft, but the point is simple, he knows, based on that Steelers draft, and others, you can have a huge impact on the fortunes with a special draft class. Another example, the 1977 Jets draft, which included LT Marvin Powell, WR Wesley Walker and DT Joe Klecko.
You get the idea. Douglas needs to knock this draft out of the park, especially with those four picks in the top 79.
People want to know if the Jets will still consider OT Mekhi Becton at 11, after he failed a drug test at the combine. Here is what Douglas said about considering a player like Becton who failed a test.
“In years past, it was a little bit different – when a player failed a combine drug test, he was automatically put into the program,” Douglas said. “Obviously those things have changed in the new CBA.”
By Douglas saying that, there’s a good chance the test was for marijuana, because in the new CBA, smoking pot isn’t considered a serious offense, unlike the old CBA.
With Becton, Douglas clearly is digging deep, along with his personnel staff, to find out more about the failed test.
“As far as the actual test, we’ve all made mistakes in life,” Douglas said. “What you try to vet in situations like that is the timing of that mistake. Dig into the behavioral aspect, the decision-making aspect of exactly why that mistake was made.”
Not saying that Becton is a bad guy, but it’s hard to believe that Douglas would pick a guy with his first pick, of his first draft as GM, who failed a test at the combine.
If the Jets don’t pick an offensive tackle at 11, they might go with a wide receiver, with two names brought up quite a bit – CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jeudy. Will their Wonderlic scores impact the Jets decision-making? According to Bob McGinn of The Athletic, Jeudy scored a 9, and Lamb a 12., Those are very poor scores.
Adam Gase’s playbook is pretty complex, so the coach will have to let the GM know if he’s comfortable with one or both of these players.
Two wildcard positions for the Jets at 11 are cornerback and edge-rusher. The buzz around the NFL is that Florida’s C.J. Henderson is rising up draft boards. If he slips to 11, he might be too good to pass up. The Jets need a #1 cornerback.
As for edge-rusher, this is a huge need for the Jets.
“You can’t have enough edge-rushers,” Douglas said. “I think that is one of the premium positions in the league. Everybody is looking to disrupt the passing game, whether it’s an edge-rusher or an interior rusher, I think those guys make impacts on games.”
So LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson could be a possibility at 11.
But the bottom line is Douglas needs to nail those first four picks in the top 79, and if he does, he could help transform his club. Obviously he wants to nail all his picks, but four picks in the first 79 represents a chance to possible land four starters.
April 22, 2020
Premium will return by 11:30 pm on Thursday.