Analyzing The Highs And Lows Of Joe Douglas’ First NFL Draft With The New York Jets

Mike Maccagnan was almost universally praised for the first draft pick of his four-plus years as the general manager of the New York Jets. At least, that is, in the immediate aftermath of the selection. 

That’s because USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams was considered by many draft experts to be the top-rated propect in the entire 2015 NFL Draft. Thus, when he fell to New York, picking No. 6 overall, it widely was viewed as a coup and the safest of safe selections.  

Five years later, the drafting of Williams is one of numerous reasons why Maccagnan no longer occupies that general manager’s seat. Williams is aaNew York Giant, having been traded by Maccagnan’s successor, Joe Douglas, last October, after four-plus solid but unspectacular seasons in green and white. 

Williams’ selection also serves as yet another reminder that safe choices don’t always work out, risky ones often do, and the worth of a team’s draft cannot be ascertained until a few years down the road. But that does not mean we all cannot at least examine what the Jets and Douglas did last week, and how it could impact their immediate and long-term futures. 

Joe’s first pick: Douglas went in the opposite direction of Maccagnan in his first chance in the big chair. In his continuing mission to fortify what was a problematic offensive line a year ago, he had eyes on a tackle. With Georgia’s Andrew Thomas and Alabama’s Jedrick Wills Jr. off the board, he took Louisville’s Mekhi Becton over Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs. (More on that in my story here.) Wirfs would have been the safer pick, but Douglas valued Becton’s upside and his own information-gathering and judgment in making the call say this much—-Douglas has the courage of his convictions. 

Mims the word: Douglas traded back 11 spots to pick up an extra third-round pick, but still secured the Baylor speedster at No. 59. Drops have been a problem for him, plus the fact that he didn’t run a lot of sophisticated pass routes in college. But he can blow the top off a defense, and Douglas likes the fact that Mims “had a real chip on his shoulder” about being drafted so low in the second round. 

It was surprising Douglas did not grab another wideout in this receiver-rich draft, but because so many wide receivers were selected, expect a lot of veterans to be cut or traded down the road. 

Safety space: California’s ballhawking Ashtyn Davis (seven career interceptions) , selected in the third round, projects as a free safety and keep in mind incumbent Marcus Maye is entering the final year of his rookie deal. And then there’s the matter of the disgruntled Jamal Adams. 

Captain Morgan: Yeah, Florida International quarterback James Morgan is a developmental pick and perhaps was a reach in the fourth round, but he does have a big arm and prototypical size (6-4, 213). Even though the FIU team captain is a developmental player, it may be tough for the Jets to stash him on the practice squad for fear of him being poached. So can they really go into the season with Sam Darnold, David Fales and Morgan in the QB room? One would think Douglas must find a veteran signalcaller somewhere. 

The bell tolls—-for Bell?: Fourth-round selection Lamical (pronounced LaMichael) Perine of Florida is the type of running back Adam Gase wants, someone who can get the tough yards and also catch the ball (40 receptions for the Gators last season). Could he be the heir apparent to Le’Veon Bell? Remember, Gase prefers a committee approach, rather than a one-man workhorse. Perine’s high in carries at Florida was 136.

On edge: the Jets could have selected Tennessee’s Darrell Taylor with the 48th pick, but instead traded down and took Mims. Thus, they waited until the third round, just like 2019, to address their perennial hole at edge rusher. Enter Florida’s Jabari Zuniga, but please don’t confuse him with former Gators teammate and third-round Jets selection Jachai Polite, a poster child for bad attitude who couldn’t even arrive for meetings on time. Zuniga (18.5 sacks in college) brings no such baggage. His problem in Gainesville was staying healthy. If he can stay on the field, he has the explosiveness to be a difference-maker. 

Hall of value: Bryce Hall likely was on his way to being an early-round selection before suffering a devastating leg injury in October, which required ankle surgery and sent the star Virginia cornerback tumbling down draft boards. If he can regain his lateral quickness—always a big if in a case such as this—Hall could be a major value because he had the potential of shutdown NFL corner prior to the mishap. 

Mann up: Taking Texas A&M punter Braden Mann in the sixth round has the potential to be a wise move. Let’s be honest, it is difficult to hit on players this deep into the draft anyway, so if you want to take a flyer on a specialist, this is the time to do it. Mann averaged 48.9 yards overall on 109 college punts. He should be an immediate upgrade over the erratic Lachlan Edwards, whose overall numbers were OK but tended to mix in shanks at the most inopportune times. 

Going to the well again: the Jets traded their final pick, the 211th near the end of the sixth round, to Indianapolis for cornerback Quincy Wilson. With former Colts CBs Nate Hairston and Pierre Desir already on the roster, the Jets have seen more Indy corners than A.J. Foyt. This is because assistant GM Rex Hogan, who is in his second tour of duty with the Jets, was in the Colts’ front office from 2017-19.  

Hairston was acquired in an August trade last year and briefly became a starter after the benching of big-money flop Trumaine Johnson before he was benched himself. Desir, signed in March a day after being cut by Indianapolis, is being counted upon to be one of the opening-day starters. He played well in 2017 and 2018 before struggling last season while trying to play through a hamstring injury. 

Wilson, a second-round selection in 2017, started only 10 games for the Colts. The Jets apparently are hoping he will be better in coordinator Gregg Williams’ press-man scheme than he was in the Colts’ preferred zone coverage, with numbers from Pro Football Focus saying he indeed is more effective in press. Thus, he likely will get a chance to compete for the other starting job. 

But it’s rare that NFL cornerbacks suddenly find their groove in Year 4 of their careers. Also, Douglas has to monitor carefully the success rate of the advice he gets from his lieutenants. Hogan currently is 0-for-1 on Indy corners. He can’t go 0-for-3.