The New York Jets have had Joe Douglas as general manager for three full offseasons now. Over the last two NFL drafts, Douglas has proven one thing Jet fans have to love. Whether it was for Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jermaine Johnson, or Breece Hall, Douglas has shown the willingness to be aggressive and secure his guys for the Jets.
Executed trades:
With Vera-Tucker, Douglas moved up nine selections after swapping firsts with the Minnesota Vikings. He was also willing to part ways with two third-round picks the Jets had in the 2021 draft.
For Johnson, Douglas, and Robert Saleh spoke on how active they were in trying to move up. As it was also shown on the Jets Flight 2022 series, starting with the 15th pick, they were in the trade market to acquire Johnson.
Finally, with the 26th pick, Douglas was able to move up nine spots again. He parted with a third and fifth to make Johnson a Jet. Knowing there was a strong chance of the Texans taking Hall with the 37th pick, Douglas moved up from 38 to 36 and gave up a fifth.
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Attempted trades for the Jets:
Even looking beyond these trades are some of the ones he attempted to make. Whether it was attempting to move up one pick from 10 to nine to make sure Garrett Wilson was a Jet. Or, the willingness to go up and get Michael Carter as he slid in the third round and eventually fell to the Jets.
Finally, there were times when a trade-down seemed possible. Following all of these trade-ups, there was a lack of picks in the mid to later rounds. In the 2021 draft, the Jets had a sizable gap in picks from the second (34th) to the fourth round (107th).
When a trade-down seemed likely, Douglas shocked everyone by staying put and selecting Elijah Moore. In this last draft, the Jets had two early fourth-round selections with none the rest of the draft. Instead of stockpiling picks in the fifth to the seventh round, Douglas stayed put and drafted Max Mitchell and Micheal Clemons.
Overall, Douglas knows who he wants and will be persistent in his pursuit. He has proven he will mortgage mid and late-round picks to ensure that his guy will be a Jet. The approach has got to give Jet fans excitement and optimism moving forward.