So what now?
That’ll be the big question for the Jets on Thursday night after they pick BYU quarterback Zach Wilson second overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas has lots of non-quarterback problems to fix. And after Wilson, he has four more picks in the first three rounds. Plenty of ammo.
CBSSports.com’s Ryan Wilson recently projected every single pick in the entire draft, which is insane, but whatever.
Here’s what he has the Jets doing after taking Wilson at No. 2 — plus the rationale for Douglas’ second first-round pick, and then our final analysis at the end …
Round 1 (No. 23, from Seattle): Edge rusher Azeez Ojulari, Georgia
Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams led the Jets with seven sacks, and Tarell Basham was next with three. Put another way: New York needs to get better at getting after the QB. Ojulari was arguably the best defender on a Georgia unit that will have a lot of guys hear their name called on draft weekend.
Round 2 (No. 34): RB Javonte Williams, North Carolina
Round 3 (No. 66): CB Elijah Molden, Washington
Round 3 (No. 86, from Seattle): OL Jackson Carman, Clemson
Round 4 (No. 107): S Talanoa Hufanga, USC
Round 5 (No. 146): OT Brenden Jaimes, Nebraska
Round 5 (No. 154, from Giants): CB Tay Gowan, Central Florida
Round 6 (No. 186): WR Trevon Grimes, Florida
Round 6 (No. 226, from Carolina): Edge rusher Malik Herring, Georgia
OUR ANALYSIS …
Even after signing 4-3 defensive end Carl Lawson, the Jets still need edge-rushing help at the outside linebacker position, so the Ojulari pick makes sense.
But what about cornerback? Would it really be wise for Douglas — who has such a major need there — to wait until Round 3 to pick a corner?
OK, so let’s break down those two picks right after Round 1 ends, and then address the other notable picks.
Williams is a big, bruising back who has been compared to Kareem Hunt. He’s more of a power back than a speed back. Ideally, the Jets would get more speed for their new West Coast offense.
As for Molden, how would he fit into Robert Saleh’s Cover 3 defense, which typically favors larger corners? Well, because of Molden’s size (5-foot-9 and 192 pounds), he’d be replacing Brian Poole as the Jets’ slot corner, rather than playing outside. And the Jets would still have significant concerns at both outside corner spots. Which is why they could draft one at No. 23.
Carman is a better fit at guard than tackle, and that’s OK for the Jets, because they have significant issues at both guard spots, with Alex Lewis (left) and Greg Van Roten (right).
A safety in Round 4? The Jets already have Marcus Maye. And they just picked Ashtyn Davis in Round 3 last year. Hufanga is more of an in-the-box safety, so he wouldn’t be asked to replicate Maye’s skill set. Davis is also more of a coverage safety, like Maye. The Jets have lacked a true in-the-box safety since they traded Jamal Adams last year.
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