The Jets hit a home run on Friday evening, hiring Philadelphia Eagles vice president of player personnel as their next general manager.
Douglas is well-known and well-respected in NFL circles, but was relatively unknown to the average football fan prior to his name popping up as a top candidate for New York’s GM job. Throughout his career as a scout and front office executive, Douglas has helped build championship teams while remaining in the background.
Now that Douglas is calling the shots for the Jets, it’s time to get to know a little bit more about him.
Relentless work ethic
Before football was at the forefront of Douglas’ life, he spent his summers working on his cousin’s produce farm.
Douglas would start picking tomatoes at 6 a.m. before picking watermelons, cucumbers and cantaloupes in the afternoon. Once local high school football coach Brian Sweaney offered to train Douglas, his days on the farm were limited, but he still returned to the farm to help plant tomatoes.
Douglas’ days on the farm likely contributed to the tireless work ethic he has brought to his job as a scout and front office executive.
Former high school and college star
Before Douglas worked his way up through the ranks as an executive, he was a pretty dominant force on the gridiron in high school and college, in large part because of his work with Sweaney.
In high school, Douglas was a two-time all-state offensive lineman at Lee-Davis High School in Mechanicsville, Virginia. At the conclusion of his decorated high school career, he attended FCS program Richmond, where he started 45 consecutive games and was named an All-Atlantic 10 selection in his senior year.
Coaching background
Douglas has made his name in the NFL as a scout and vital member of the Eagles’ personnel department, but he also has firsthand experience working on the sideline.
After his playing career, Douglas remained with Richmond as a volunteer coach in 1999. A year later, he put his coaching days behind him and joined the Ravens as a part of the team’s “20/20” club, where hopeful scouts and NFL executives work to learn every aspect of the organization before stepping into a more prominent role.
Flacco finder
After Steve McNair’s retirement, the Ravens were in need of a quarterback for the 2008 season. While out on the scouting trail, Douglas came across an FCS signal caller who caught his eye.
Douglas first discovered Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco in the fall of 2007 before he was a popular name on NFL draft boards. Excited about his discovery, Douglas phoned Baltimore executive Eric DeCosta to tell him about the 6-foot-6 senior with a big arm. Ravens brass watched Flacco throw in Delaware’s upset win over Navy later that season, and the rest is history.
Thanks to Douglas, the Ravens landed their starter for the next 10-plus years and a future Super Bowl MVP. Consistent quarterbacks like Flacco are hard to come by, and Douglas was the driving force in getting him to Baltimore.
A scout’s scout
Flacco wasn’t the only big-time player Douglas discovered in his time with the Ravens. In fact, he played a major role in finding some of the players that helped Baltimore win a Super Bowl in the 2012 season.
Douglas had a hand in the Ravens acquiring the likes of Ben Grubbs, Pernell McPhee, Justin Tucker, LaDarius Webb and Marshal Yanda. Arguably his best find was Jameel McClain, an undrafted linebacker out of Syracuse who made Baltimore’s roster the same year Douglas discovered Flacco.
“He’s a scout’s scout,” DeCosta said of his former colleague. “He knows how to find players and he’s able to explain those players and describe those players to people, not without a lot of ego, not with a loud voice, but in a very sensible way. As an executive, that’s what you want.”
A fresh perspective
Mike Maccagnan’s final draft as Jets GM saw him take two talented players with character concerns in Florida’s Jachai Polite and USC’s Chuma Edoga.
Don’t expect that to happen with Douglas running the show.
The expectation is that Douglas will place an emphasis on finding players who are football junkies and consistently outwork the competition. Douglas isn’t all that into the analytical approach to team building, either.
Considering Douglas’ background as an offensive lineman, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that he is looking for players with a lunchpail mentality. With Maccagnan placing an emphasis on talent and employing analytics every so often, Douglas brings a new point of view to the table.
