It’s decision time for Jets general manager Joe Douglas – playmaker or protector?
That’s expected to be the case for Douglas, who is expected to make the decision Thursday with the No. 10 pick in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Does he feel the Jets need to get another pass catcher for Aaron Rodgers or another player to stand him up?
No matter what happens down the line, I’m confident the Jets will get a quality player at No. 10.
“We definitely have 10 players that we’re excited to acquire,” Douglas said last week. “I’m ready to leave.”
Four quarterbacks could be taken with the first five picks, which would leave the Jets with no talent other than quarterbacks.
They could be close to either having one of their top three wide receivers (Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabors, Roma Odunze) fall to them or Douglas stepping forward and taking one. be.
Then there’s Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, who seems to be the most popular player linked to the Jets in mock drafts.
Bowers scored 31 touchdowns (26 receiving, 5 rushing) in three years at Georgia and can line up across formations.
He is the consensus top tight end in the draft and is considered one of the top five players in the draft by some draft evaluators.
If the Jets select Bowers or a wide receiver in the first round, Rodgers, who has never completed a pass to a wide receiver or tight end drafted, will join Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall. It would give the offense a weapon to help. The first round by the team he was a part of.
Douglas did not mention names, but commented on this year’s top 10 rankings.
“We have a lot of special players on the offensive side of the ball, playmakers, top-level blockers, top-level playmakers, dynamic playmakers, they all have different flavors,” Douglas said. Whether you want an explosive just freak or a high level route runner who can go up and get the ball and also man run, he’s a very productive and accurate route runner. Blockers also come in different flavors. A Swiss Army knife, tight ends can move throughout the formation and put a lot of stress on the defense. It’s a really cool group. ”
Bowers is a Swiss Army knife and we’ll see if Douglas wants to add that to his offense.
Douglas didn’t reveal anything in his pre-draft press conference, but he did talk about how a good tight end could help the offense.
“I hope that tight end can be the guy that changes Kansas City.” [has in Travis Kelce]San Francisco [has in George Kittle]what [Sam] “Laporta did what he did last year in Detroit,” Douglas said, “those are players who are dynamic weapons for the offense and put a lot of stress on the defense because they can create mismatches. It’s hard to put a DB on one of these and you have a size mismatch. Put a safety on them and he’ll be able to run and have good man coverage. That type of tight end can be a real weapon.”
The argument against taking a pass catcher is that Rodgers is 40 years old and recovering from an Achilles injury, which could hinder his movement.
The Jets signed Tyron Smith and traded Morgan Moses to play tackle.
Both players are 33 years old and have recent injury histories.
It’s unlikely that either player will be healthy for 17 games, and their time with the Jets could be limited to this year.
A number 10 tackle like Talese Fuaga of Oregon State, Olu Fashanu of Penn State, J.C. Latham of Alabama, or a versatile lineman like Troy Fautanu of Washington State, would be a great choice for today’s players. It would allow us to address our depth and give him the potential to be a long-term starter on the line in the future.
The team’s offseason moves thus far indicate an “all-in” mindset heading into 2024.
Getting a pass catcher over a lineman will continue that trend.
A year after the Rodgers trade, it’s all about what makes him the most successful.
We’ll find out Thursday night whether Douglas thinks of it as a playmaker or a protector.
