The dilemma is real for the Jets as they enter the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night.
The Jets are breaking away from the age-old draft cliché of taking the “best available player” when the 10th overall pick arrives, and instead taking the “best available player who can help us win right now.” I need to chase it.
If the Jets don’t win in 2024, general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh won’t be around next year, so they have no choice but to make good on this draft.
What does “win” mean?
That means at least a playoff spot.
It’s been 14 years since the Jets last reached the postseason, and owner Woody Johnson is understandably frustrated.
Mr. Johnson, 77, is rapidly approaching the point of impatience that his predecessor, Leon Hess, reached in 1995. That’s when he famously declared on the day he fired Pete Carroll and hired Rich Kotite, “I’m 80 years old and I want results now.”
We all know how that worked out. Hess did not get the results he was looking for.
Coach Johnson is hopeful that quarterback Aaron Rodgers, presumably healthy and recovering from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in last year’s season opener, can produce the results he craves.
But the 40-year-old Rodgers will need more support around him on offense to be able to do that. This means we will need more talented people in skilled positions.
That means drafting either a top receiver (Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabors, Roma Odunze) or a top tight end (Brock Bowers) in the first round.
Do the Jets need help on the offensive line?
That’s definitely true. Isn’t that always the case?
But Douglas, who arrived in 2019 with a reputation as an offensive line specialist, has failed spectacularly in his efforts to build a good offensive line for the better part of his five years in the post.
For Douglas, the days of building a team for the future are over. The only way he gets an offensive lineman in the first round is if Notre Dame’s Joe Alto falls into his lap for some reason. Draft experts say Ort is an immediate prospect who can help right away.
Reading Douglas’ pre-draft coverage last week, it seemed like he was anointed to select a skill position player.
After all, his owner recently reportedly responded, “Offense, offense, offense” when asked what the team needs.
Certainly Johnson isn’t referring to a more offensive lineman who may or may not work out (Mekhi Becton). He was referring to players who can get into the end zone. The end zone has been a place the Jets rarely visit for far too long.
Harrison caught 14 touchdown passes in each of his last two years at Ohio State. Nabors caught 14 TD passes at LSU last season. Odunze has 24 catches over the past three seasons with Washington, including 13 last season. Bowers had 26 receiving TDs and five rushing TDs over Georgia’s last three years.
That’s a lot of firepower from these four players, a productivity that can only be enhanced by Rodgers, who has the talent to make the players around him better.
“If you look back at other situations where players like Aaron left, they had important playmakers around him,” Douglas said. “Garrett already has some dynamic players around him.” [Wilson],addition [receiver] mike williams [running back] Breathe [Hall].We love the tight end room we have with Conch. [Tyler Conklin] and rack [Jeremy Ruckert].So I feel like we have a lot of good players around us. [Rodgers]”
They need more.
“We have a lot of special players on offense,” Douglas said of this draft. “Top-level playmakers, dynamic playmakers, they all have different flavors. Whether you want a highly productive, accurate route runner or you want an explosive runner. , even if you want a high-level route runner who can not only go up and get the ball, but also run by man.
“There are different flavors of blockers, and there are also tight ends.” [Bowers] It’s a Swiss Army knife that can move the ball around the formation and can put a lot of stress on the defense. It’s a really great group. ”
Douglas has no choice but to go for one of them on Thursday night with the No. 10 overall pick.
