The Jets are by no means a finished product heading into the 2020 draft. With eight picks – as of now – Joe Douglas can upgrade various positions across the roster in his first draft as general manager.
Douglas touted “flexibility in the draft” to explain his frugal free agent spending. Now that mindset will be put to the test. He did a good job filling a few holes at various positions this spring by signing and retaining experienced players at inexpensive rates, but there are some areas he needs to infuse with young and exciting prospects.
The Jets obviously won’t target interior defensive linemen, quarterbacks or safeties early in the draft, but it wouldn’t be shocking for Douglas to find players for those positions if they’re the best player on the board later on. But if he’s smart, he will target the positions that truly need attention first.
Here are the Jets’ top five needs entering the draft.
Offensive tackle
Joe Douglas did a phenomenal job adding quality linemen in free agency at relatively inexpensive prices, but the Jets still need to bring in a young tackle to completely upgrade their protection for Sam Darnold. The Jets only have two true tackles on the roster between 2019 third-round pick Chuma Edoga and newly-signed George Fant. Both could turn into competent starters for the Jets in 2020, but Douglas would be better off grabbing a tackle early in the draft to hedge his bets and build for the future.
There’s a chance the Jets won’t get a shot at either of the four best tackles in the first round of the draft, but that shouldn’t stop Douglas from selecting one with any of his first four picks. If the quartet of Jedrick Wills Jr., Tristan Wirfs, Andrew Thomas and Mekhi Becton all go before the Jets’ pick at 11, tackles like Josh Jones, Isaiah Wilson, Austin Jackson and Ezra Cleveland should also be targets for New York.
Edge rusher
The Jets have lacked in the pass rush department for a while and haven’t had a player with double-digit sacks since Muhammad Wilkerson in 2015. They had the opportunity to take Josh Allen third overall in 2019, but opted for Quinnen Williams instead and watched Allen wreak havoc for the Jaguars this past season.
Bringing back Jordan Jenkins is good, but he alone isn’t enough to turn Gregg Williams’ defense into a fearsome force. They need to find a quality edge in this year’s draft to make that happen.
Unless the Jets move up for Chase Young or trade back, it’s unlikely Douglas uses his 11th overall first-round pick on an edge rusher. But that doesn’t mean he can neglect the position in the draft, as there are plenty of mid-round prospects ripe for the taking in the third and fourth rounds. Josh Uche, Julian Okawara, Terrell Lewis and Curtis Weaver are great values for the Jets in the second and third days of the draft.
Wide receiver
The Jets lost Robby Anderson but added Breshad Perriman this offseason. That alone isn’t enough to bring this unit out of the doldrums before the 2020 season. Perriman joins the group of Jamison Crowder, Quincy Enunwa, Vyncint Smith, Josh Doctson and Braxton Berrios. Sam Darnold needs more weapons in the passing game and it’s why a receiver should be a position for the Jets to target in the draft.
This is one of the deepest receiver classes in draft history, which gives the Jets a perfect opportunity to add a young pass-catcher to Adam Gase’s offense. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Joe Douglas draft a wideout at any point in the draft if he likes the prospect enough.
Cornerback
The Jets still need to invest in their secondary even with a core of Pierre Desir, Brian Poole, Blessaun Austin and Arthur Maulet. Those four are solid starters, but the unit could be tightened up with a rookie taken in the early rounds.
Spending a first-round pick on cornerback is a little rich considering greater needs at tackle, wide receiver and pass-rusher, but the Jets can find a starting-caliber player in the middle and late rounds, much like they did in 2019 with Austin in the sixth. Players like Trevon Diggs, Jeff Gladney, Kristian Fulton, Amik Robertson and Cameron Dantzler are all quality players who could fall to New York in the second or third round.
Running back
Every other position on this list is of far greater need, but the Jets are lacking a quality backup running back behind Le’Veon Bell. Josh Adams and Trenton Cannon are both young and very raw talents. The Jets need to invest in the position, especially considering Bell’s age, usage and Adam Gase’s use of multiple running backs in his previous stops running the offense in Miami, Chicago and Denver.
One name to watch out for late in the draft: Illinois State’s James Robinson. The Jets met with him this offseason and he would be a great complement to Bell as a mid- or late-round pick for the Jets.
