FLORAM PARK, New York – The New York Jets, who haven’t done too much in the past decade, found themselves in an unusual position at the end of Saturday’s NFL draft.
In place of universal praise.
Instead of bowing, coach Robert Saleh shrugged.
“I’ve also been to places where we’re ridiculed,” Saleh said, recalling his time as assistant coach of the Seattle Seahawks in 2012. We took Bruce Irwin, Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson in the first three rounds and got D class, if I remember correctly.
“It doesn’t matter. We need to develop these young men. They need to come in and introduce themselves. We’ll find out in about three years.”
The Jets left with seven players, including four of the top 36 selected. They used their original first-round picks against Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and Ohio receiver Gareth Wilson and swapped at the bottom of the first round to select Florida quarterback Jermaine Johnson II. They exchanged in the second round for the running back from the state of Iowa, Bryce Hall.
Gardner, Wilson and Hall were considered by many draft analysts to be the best players in their respective positions.
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General Manager Joe Douglas amassed additional capital project through the security trade of Jamal Adams and quarterback Sam Darnold in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Entering the draft, he said the Jets had the opportunity to do “something special.”
Douglas didn’t want to call it that when he was done, but he was clearly pleased.
“A few things have changed for us in terms of draft, but we have also made the most of our opportunities to add quality players,” said Douglas, who finished his third draft as GM. “Eventually we will see how it develops over the next few years.
“Nothing ever goes perfectly with the draft, but I have a feeling that in the last two years things have gone our way and we are making the most of our opportunities.”
The Jets needed an influx of talent after finishing 4-13, their 11th consecutive season out of the playoffs – the longest active drought in the league.
After the first four selections, the Jets added a tie-end to Jeremy Rockert in the third round, finishing the draft with a pair of fourth-round pick-ups – Max Mitchell and Michael Clemens. They started with nine selections, but were left with a total of seven selections after an exchange that allowed them to rise to Johnson and Hall.
One question that remains is the status of the first round pick for 2020, Mehdi Becton, who is coming out after knee surgery and is not participating in the off-season program. Speculation about him has been swirling for months. Saleh publicly lobbied Beckton, who was dealing with weight problems, to rejoin the team.
“You want all your boys to be here,” Saleh said of the offensive match. “It’s voluntary, but I know he’s working his queue in Dallas. We have printouts on him. We know exactly what he’s doing and we know where he is in rehab.”
Looking at the TV camera, Saleh said with a smile and said, “We would like to bring you back here, my friend. We will take care of you.
Saleh warned Becton at the end of the season, saying he would have to compete with George Fant to regain his left-back position. On Saturday, he was evasive when asked about the role of Becton, hinting that there was a chance they would move him to the right grip.
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