Joe Douglas proved he wasn’t afraid to make deals in his first draft as general manager. He traded back twice in the 2020 NFL Draft and almost moved a third time in an attempted deal with the Broncos, according to the New York Daily News.
The Broncos wanted to trade up in the third round from No. 83 to the Jets’ No. 79 pick to draft Temple center Matt Hennessy and were willing to give up an additional Day 3 pick to do it – likely either the 178th or 181st pick. Douglas would have pulled the trigger on what would have been his third trade of the draft, but the Falcons snatched Hennessy one pick before No. 78 and the trade fell apart.
The Jets, who were linked to Hennessy in a lot of pre-draft reports, ended up taking Florida defensive end Jabari Zuniga with their pick while the Broncos grabbed LSU center Lloyd Cushenberry at No. 83, Wake Forest linebacker Justin Strnad at No. 178 and Fresno State guard Netane Muti at No. 181.
Though the trade didn’t happen, it’s another great sign of Douglas’ mentality when it came to the draft. While he valued Zuniga early in the third round, he saw the greater return in acquiring more draft capital and only moving back a few spots. It’s impossible to guess the draft board if you throw in another trade, but there’s a good chance the Jets would have been able to draft Zuniga with the Broncos’ pick anyway, similarly to how Douglas traded back in the second round and still landed wide receiver Denzel Mims with the 59th pick.
We won’t know if Douglas’ first draft class is good or not until the Jets play this fall, but the early signs are promising considering the Jets grabbed a few starter-level prospects with their nine picks. While Mims and first-round pick Mekhi Becton should provide an early return on the Jets’ investment, Zuniga could prove to make the biggest impact among the Jets’ rookies — despite his draft selection and injury history — because of his athleticism and innate pass-rushing ability.
