Jets 2020 Draft Class Review

Well folks, it's been almost a week since Joe Douglas' first NFL Draft . The consensus among most fans & analysts is that JD knocked it out of the park.

OMG, that's Joe Douglas' music!!!!!

But in all seriousness, I think JD did a stellar job for his first draft class. He stuck true to his word in protecting Sam Darnold by drafting Meckhi Becton in Round 1. Now I know a good amount of Jets fans wanted a WR there, but like I said previously, what good is it to have a big time WR when Darnold has 0 time to get them the ball?

JD also was very active with trades, making three throughout the course of the entire draft. These trades netted them extra picks plus 3rd year CB Quincy Wilson. This Jets roster is far from complete so getting extra picks goes a long way into adding talent to this team.

The main theme that I & many took away from JD's draft is that he drafted high character players. Many of the players drafted were either team captains or team MVP's from the season prior. You can tell, JD wants players who are going to come in & work hard, like a Jamal Adams, & not players who are going to slack off & be late to practices & meetings, like a Mo' Wilkerson. This type of strategy goes a long way in building a successful roster.

To go along with the draft, JD made some solid UDFA signings. There's a couple of players that he signed who I was shocked didn't get drafted. I could easily see 2-3 of these players making the opening day roster.

Now, I'm not going to talk about every pick here, because I did that in my previous posts, which I hope you read. So here's my favorite pick, least favorite pick, & favorite UDFA signing:

Favorite Pick: Bryce Hall-CB-Virginia: Every NFL expert said getting Hall in the 5th round was an absolute STEAL & I couldn't agree more. Going into the year many had him being drafted in the 2nd round & some even in the late first. A broken ankle definitely dropped his draft stock as he couldn't participate in the combine & a pro day. Hall had such a stellar '18 season that QB's were not throwing at him before he got hurt last year. He may be brought along slowly this upcoming season, but don't be surprised if he's starting at some point.

Least Favorite Pick: James Morgan-QB-FIU: I know that I've talked about the importance of having a solid backup QB in plenty of my posts, but I just think JD could have waited to draft a backup. Many fans, including myself, wanted JD to draft at least two WR's this draft & there were plenty to be had with that pick. When the Jets were on the clock, I was praying for either Tyler Johnson or Donovan Peoples-Jones, so I wasn't the happiest when I saw that pick. However, I'm going to give JD the benefit of the doubt & hope that Morgan becomes a reliable backup QB.

Favorite UDFA Signing: Lawrence Cager-WR-Georgia: I'm a Miami Hurricanes fan, so I've known about Cager for some time. A torn ACL during spring ball a few years back really hurt his status in the Miami WR pecking order. With that said, he was still used as a big redzone target & the same can be said during his grad-transfer year at UGA. I think that's exactly how he'll be used if he makes the Jets roster, which I have a strong feeling that he will. Darnold has desperately needed that big target WR who he can just throw the back-corner fade route to when their in the redzone. Cager can be that guy & I think the front office & coaching staff knows that as well.

So overall, JD did a solid job with his first draft. It's weird seeing analyst praise the Jets draft & give it a solid grade. This is new to me & I'm still getting use to the positive remarks. JD had a plan & he stuck to it. Now it's up to the coaching staff to continue to develop these players & use these players properly. I have no doubt in my mind that DC Gregg Williams & ST Brant Boyer will do just that. Now with HC Adam Gase.........well that's for another article. #TakeFlight.