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NY Jets picks


NFL draft 2021: Biggest offseason questions​

New York Jets

Is new quarterback Zach Wilson set up for success?

After failing to do this for Sam Darnold, the Jets made a concerted effort to rebuild their supporting cast on offense. It started in free agency with the addition of wide receivers Corey Davis and Keelan Cole. In the draft, they added a Day 1 starter in left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker and two potential playmakers, wide receiver Elijah Moore and running back Michael Carter. They're also installing a quarterback-friendly system -- the Kyle Shanahan version of the West Coast offense. Wilson ran some of the concepts at BYU, which should help the transition. -- Rich Cimini
 

Rich CiminiESPN Staff Writer​

The Jets' UDFA class is headed by Oregon State DE/LB Hamilcar Rashed, who was ranked the 149th overall prospect by ESPN. Other reported signings: Oregon St CB Isaiah Dunn, Auburn S Jordyn Peters, SMU K Chris Naggar, Air Force OT Parker Ferguson, Purdue OT Grant Hermanns, BYU G Tristen Hoge, Rutgers DT Michael Dwumfour, Illinois LB Milo Eifler, Ole Miss TE Kenny Yeboah and N. Mexico St OT Teton Saltes.
 

Jets should acquire this veteran QB to complete Project Zach Wilson​



  • Rich CiminiESPN Staff Writer
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- A look at what's happening around the New York Jets:

1. In Nick of time? General manager Joe Douglas did a nice job of surrounding rookie Zach Wilson with players, using his second, third and fourth draft picks to build the offense, but the "Making of a Quarterback" project is still missing an important piece: an experienced backup quarterback/insurance policy/mentor for Wilson.

The ideal candidate is the Chicago Bears' Nick Foles, seemingly the odd man out now that first-round pick Justin Fields is joining "QB1" Andy Dalton. Foles, 32, has lost nine of 11 starts over the past two years, but he and Douglas have a strong bond -- the Super Bowl they won together as members of the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles.

The Jets should make a play for Foles, who has two years, $12 million left on his contract -- including $9 million in guarantees. Obviously, the teams would have to work out a financial arrangement because it makes no sense for the Jets to trade for that contract as-is. They could wait out the Bears, hoping they cut him, but it would cost more on the salary cap to release him than to keep him -- whether it's a post-June 1 cut or not.

Wilson needs a veteran at his side to help his growth, and the Jets don't have anybody like that on the roster. Their other quarterbacks are James Morgan and Mike White, neither of whom has taken a regular-season snap. Foles is known as a team player who could function in the offense if called upon. They met recently with free agent Brian Hoyer, another good guy, but he hasn't played effectively in years.

The Jets would love for Wilson to be their Week 1 starter, but there's no guarantee. Of the past 11 quarterbacks drafted in the top 10, dating to 2017, only three were Week 1 starters -- Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals), Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals) and Sam Darnold (Jets).

"I really am excited about the guys we have," Douglas said Saturday, commenting on whether he needs a veteran in the quarterback room. "That's a conversation Coach [Robert Saleh] and I will get together on. Once the dust settles on this draft, we'll talk about every [position]."

2. Three's company: The Jets' first three picks -- Wilson, guard Alijah Vera-Tucker and wide receiver Elijah Moore -- all ranked in the top 25 on their board and are expected to play significant roles as rookies. When was the last time that could be said about one of their drafts?

3. It's catching on: The "Build-around-the-rookie-QB" concept is a leaguewide trend. Of the eight teams that drafted a quarterback in the first three rounds, six paired the quarterback with a new offensive lineman -- a league high in the common draft era (since 1967). Darnold must be wondering, "Why didn't they do this for me?"

4. Joe goes O: Douglas is creating his own team trends. Before he arrived, the Jets were known as a defensive-minded team that used first-round picks on 300-pound linemen. Now, look:

In two drafts, Douglas' five highest-drafted players came on offense -- Wilson (No. 2 overall), tackle Mekhi Becton (11th), Vera-Tucker (14th), Moore (34th) and wide receiver Denzel Mims (59th).

This is called adjusting to the new NFL.

5. 'Big' trade: If you're keeping score on the trade of safety Jamal Adams:

Two of the four picks the Jets received from the Seattle Seahawks -- Nos. 23 and 86 overall in this year's draft -- were dealt to the Minnesota Vikings in the move-up for Vera-Tucker. The Jets turned half the Adams trade into a 6-foot-4, 308-pound guard who will be a Day 1 starter -- and they still have Seattle's first- and fourth-round picks in 2022.

"He's going to be an All-Pro guard," NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said of Vera-Tucker. "He's just one of the cleanest, safest picks in the whole draft."

The downside is that it left the Jets with no third-round selections. Douglas considers those "premium" picks or projected starters. It's tough to lose two of them, especially for a team with so many holes, but they were determined to get Vera-Tucker. He was one of the top-10 players on their board. Douglas was so pumped up to get him that he high-fived people in the draft room.

6. Hard lesson: The low point of Moore's Ole Miss career was the 2019 Egg Bowl, when he celebrated a touchdown by pretending to urinate like a dog. The crude gesture drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, pushing his team back and resulting in a missed extra point in a one-point loss. During the run-up to the draft, he was grilled about it by every team who interviewed him.

Douglas said he's "confident that was just a one-time incident." Moore, in a post-draft Zoom call with reporters, showed contrition, saying he learned "countless things" from the regrettable incident.

7. Did you know? The Jets have the league's longest active drought of not drafting a Pro Bowl player on offense. The last draft to produce one actually produced two -- tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson and center Nick Mangold in 2006.

8. Knapp town: BYU legend Steve Young, an unofficial adviser to Wilson and his family during the pre-draft process, is hopeful that Zach can reverse the franchise's bleak quarterback history. One of the reasons is the presence of Greg Knapp, the Jets' passing-game specialist. (Yes, that's his title.) Young and Knapp go way back; Knapp was a San Francisco 49ers' assistant for several years during Young's run as the starting quarterback in the late 1990s.

"I told his dad, Mike Wilson: If I had a son and I needed him to be coached and taken care of in a way that helps him play better football, I'd want Greg to be part of it," Young told ESPN. "That’s a huge plus."

9. No Joshing: Wilson and Darnold have a common link: Josh McCown, the former Jets quarterback who mentored Darnold as a rookie in 2018 (and still does). Before the draft, Wilson called McCown to pick his brain on what to expect from playing quarterback in New York. McCown, who grew up in a small town in Texas, told him how he fell in love with the place after early apprehension about a big city. He also spoke glowingly of the Jets' rebuilding effort under Douglas.

"I thought that was so cool to hear that from him," Wilson said. "It gives you confidence in being able to go in there and it made it very comforting to know that I'm going into a great situation."

10. A-Rod's swag: Wilson grew up in Draper, Utah, idolizing Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers. He always speaks of Rodgers in reverential terms, but a lighthearted comment about him last fall turned into a thing. Wilson said in an interview, "He’s my guy. But as far as his swag, the way he dresses, he doesn't have any. He has no swag." Word got to Rodgers, who responded on "The Pat McAfee Show."

"One college kid took a shot at my swag," Rodgers said, "Swag is a mentality."

11. Coach speak: Saleh's mantra -- "All gas, no brake" -- is something he wears and speaks. When he spoke to drafted players by phone, he mentioned the phrase "all gas." When he greeted Wilson at the facility on Friday, he was wearing a black T-shirt that said, "All gas, no brake." Get used to it; you're going to be hearing that a lot in the coming months.

12. The last word: "We were trying to corner the market on Elijahs and Michael Carters" -- Douglas, who drafted a Michael Carter at running back (North Carolina) and a Michael Carter at safety (Duke).
 
What I really like about the Jets draft can be described in one word "EXPLOSIVENESS" With their 2nd and 4th round picks of Moore and Carter the Jets obtained two players who can explode at any time. They remind me of Leon Washington & Brad Smith. Neither was an every down player but put them in in tight situations & just give either the ball and they would make things happen positively. The same can happen with Elijah Moore & Michael Carter 1.

Tom K
 

Jets star Quinnen Williams likely getting surgery after breaking foot​

By Jeremy Layton

Jets star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams broke a bone in his foot and will be sidelined for multiple months, The Post’s Brian Costello confirmed.

Williams was doing on-field work at the Jets facility when the injury happened, according to the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. He likely will need surgery and is expected to miss 8-10 weeks.

quinnen-williams.jpg

Quinnen Williams warms up with the Jets.Getty Images

The timeline gives Williams plenty of time to get healthy before training camp, but he will likely miss OTAs and minicamp.

Williams broke out as a star in 2020, racking up seven sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 55 tackles in his second season. The injury will be a roadblock as he attempts to keep the momentum up into 2021.
 

Scouting service: New York Jets score rare NFL draft trifecta with top picks​


Rich CiminiESPN Staff Writer

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- At various points during the 2021 NFL draft, New York Jets officials were seen hugging and high-fiving on video released by the team. They weren't the only ones excited.

Often questioned on their draft-day decisions, the Jets received high marks from draft experts on their three-day performance. It was one of the best in recent memory, according to Scouts Inc., which evaluates drafts prospects for ESPN.com.

The Jets drafted three players with a grade of 90 or above, something that had not been done since the 2008 Miami Dolphins. Scouts, Inc. has been grading players since 2004. The only other time a team pulled a 90-hat trick was the 2005 Dolphins.

In this year's draft, only 16 players received a 90 grade. The Jets selected BYU quarterback Zach Wilson (93) with the No. 2 overall pick, USC guard Alijah Vera-Tucker (91) at No. 14 after trading up and Ole Miss wide receiver Elijah Moore (90) with the 34th pick.

Three out of 16 -- not bad. On the Jets' draft board, the trio was ranked in the top 25, according to general manager Joe Douglas.

"We're excited about the competition we're going to create, we're excited about the depth that we added, so I do feel like we improved ourselves throughout this offseason and the offseason isn't over until training camp starts," Douglas said. "There's more opportunities to improve this team, improve this roster. We're going to take it."

That the Jets had three picks in the top 34 certainly improved their chances of landing highly-graded players. They can thank Jamal Adams for that. If the star safety hadn't complained last offseason, forcing his way out of town, the Jets wouldn't have dealt him to the Seattle Seahawks for a package that included first- and third-round picks in 2021 and a first-round pick in 2022.

Douglas took the 2021 picks (23, 66 and 86) and used them to trade up nine spots to grab Vera-Tucker. It was costly -- they missed out on a potential starting cornerback in Round 3 -- but the Jets considered Vera-Tucker a top-10 talent, a future star.

Time will tell, but none of that happens without the Adams trade. That extra draft capital put Douglas in an aggressive mood, and he didn't want to sit on his hands and watch a highly-ranked player land with another team. A source with a team picking ahead of the Jets' original position (23) said his team would have taken Vera-Tucker.

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. gave the Jets an A- in his post-draft grades, noting that he, too, had Wilson, Vera-Tucker and Moore ranked in his top 16.

"That's tremendous and is part of the reason this grade is so high, though they did have to surrender a third-round pick in the Round 1 trade up to get Vera-Tucker," Kiper said. "Wilson already has better weapons to throw to and a better offensive line than [Sam] Darnold ever had in New York."


For a change, the Jets, with a GM and a coach working in lockstep, seem to be heading in the right direction. The disclaimer is that high draft grades guarantee nothing. For proof, look no further than those Miami teams.

Of those six highly-graded players in 2005 and 2008, only two made the Pro Bowl -- left tackle Jake Long (four times) and running back Ronnie Brown (once). The others were disappointments -- defensive end Phillip Merling, quarterback Chad Henne, defensive end Matt Roth and linebacker Channing Crowder. Miami made the playoffs in 2008, their only postseason appearance from 2005 to 2015.

Post-draft kudos are nice, but you don't make the playoffs in April. In the Jets' case, though, it feels like a turning point.
 
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