The Jets ended up taking three players in the first round Thursday night as general manager Darren Mougey and coach Aaron Glenn reshape their roster.
Here are some thoughts on the Jets’ first round:
1. The Jets taking two playmakers in the first round is unprecedented and it shows a shift in the organization toward emphasizing offense, which is overdue. For years and years, the Jets have been a defensive organization in part because they have had defensive head coaches — Herm Edwards, Eric Mangini, Rex Ryan, Todd Bowles and Robert Saleh — other than two years of Adam Gase.
It has felt at times that the defense was the priority. Every first-round pick from 2010-17 was a defensive player. When the Jets have gone offense in recent years, it has often been a quarterback or an offensive lineman.
That’s why Thursday felt different with the Jets taking tight end Kenyon Sadiq and wide receiver Omar Cooper. They drafted weapons. Other than Garrett Wilson, that has been a rarity around here. It has led to the Jets spending unwisely on weapons in free agency.
It feels like this offseason the Jets addressed their defensive holes in free agency and then were able to use some of these premium picks on getting some weapons for Geno Smith. We’ll see how it works out, but the plan makes sense and that’s all you can really grade the Jets on right now.
2. Trying to understand the philosophy of a general manager and head coach is always interesting and I found a split between the Jets’ first pick and second pick last night.
The argument for taking David Bailey over Arvell Reese is production over potential. Bailey has shown he can be a dominant pass rusher at Texas Tech with 14 ½ sacks last season, while Reese is a bit of an unknown because of positional fit.
That makes total sense.
But then the Jets took Sadiq at No. 16 and Sadiq’s measurables are much more impressive than his production. His statistics are not bad (51 catches, 560 yards, 8 TDs) but they are not eye-popping. ESPN’s Ben Solak had this note: Sadiq’s 21.2 yards per game in college is the lowest for a first-round tight end in the past 15 drafts.
This feels like a pick that is more about Sadiq’s freakish athleticism. He ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at the Combine and when you watch him play, he stands out because of his size and speed.
I’m not criticizing the pick. Sadiq was one of my favorite players in the Draft, but I find it interesting that the Jets went on one side of the production vs. measurables argument at 2 and the other side at 16.
3. Jets fans should be excited about getting three first-round picks. It is only the third time they have gotten at least that many in one draft in franchise history.
But that’s what tempers the excitement a little bit in my eyes. The last time was not that long ago. We all remember 2022 when the Jets got Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson and Jermaine Johnson in the first round. That felt like the Jets had struck gold and it looked great for a while. Gardner and Wilson both won Rookie of the Year. Johnson showed flashes and made a Pro Bowl in his second season.
Four years later, Gardner and Johnson are gone and while Wilson has played well, it has not translated into wins.
It’s a reminder that getting three first-round picks is exciting and should generate some buzz this season, but it does not necessarily mean the Jets have turned a corner. Chances are one of these three players won’t work out and maybe even two of them.
I also question whether this was the best year to have three first-round picks. Everything you heard in the leadup to this draft was that it was weak and next year’s draft will be better. Eight teams ended up trading their first-round picks. That shows a willingness to move down because there was a lack of elite prospects. Maybe the moves will work for the Jets but it gives me a little pause that this may not have been the ideal draft to have three first-rounders. The good news for the Jets is they are armed with three first-round picks next year in the Draft that is already being hyped up as a good one.
4. Another reminder from the 2022 era is that none of the picks will make a major difference if Mougey and Glenn don’t land a long-term answer at quarterback. The 2022 draft class was strong, even stronger when you include second-round pick Breece Hall. Alijah Vera-Tucker was not a bad pick in 2021 but he could not stay healthy. But taking Zach Wilson doomed the Joe Douglas/Robert Saleh regime.
The Jets could take a quarterback with the No. 44 overall pick, but I think the more likely scenario is they wait until next year to draft their potential franchise quarterback (they could take a developmental quarterback on Saturday). Bailey could be a double-digit sack player and it won’t matter if they don’t get the quarterback right. Just ask Myles Garrett in Cleveland. Sadiq and Cooper won’t have great careers unless they have a quarterback who can get them the ball.
I know it sounds simple, but it’s true: this will all come down to the quarterback decision.
5. I am very curious to see how Glenn deploys his edge rushers. The Jets have four main ones now with Bailey, Will McDonald, Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare. Bailey and McDonald are not great against the run but they are the two speed rushers. Enagbare is stout against the run and Ossai can do both.
It feels like having Bailey and McDonald on the field at the same time when it is not an obvious passing down could be an issue. But these are two first-round picks, so you don’t want them to be designated pass rushers.
Most defensive coaches say you can’t have enough pass rushers and that is probably true. It will just be interesting to watch how Glenn manages playing time at the position.
