If the Jets draft an offensive lineman with their first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, I’ll scream. I know all the smart people want to build up the line for a quarterback, but Sam Darnold “can” be a mobile quarterback if Adam Gase allows it and currently this general manager hasn’t given him the weapons to succeed with the exit of Robby Anderson.
If Darnold is the true franchise quarterback, and so far, Douglas isn’t acting like he is with a patchwork offensive line, patchwork meaning cheap. Again, don’t focus on the amount of time Darnold has to throw, it doesn’t matter if guys drop the ball or can’t get open and based on what the experts are saying, and my own opinion, the Jets will win four games this year wasting another year of Darnold.
Does Douglas want his own quarterback? Will he make that mistake and set things up for that? Jets fans are getting tired of fiscal responsibility and wasting money, they want it done right. Part of that would be keeping Jamal Adams in the foid, and as of now, he won’t be reporting to digital training camp and hasn’t been offered an extension and could be on the trading block again. Just watch his twitter feed. He’s not happy and I don’t blame him. You won’t get a suitable replacement for him in free agency or the next draft or two if he’s traded.
The Jets can’t afford to pass on Jerry Jeudy and they should consider trading up for him if they need to. He runs a 4.45, 40-yard dash so he will immediately spread out the field for Darnold. You won’t be able to leave him open. He’s a great route runner and that would help Darnold because he only has one player who can currently do that, Jamison Crowder, and having another would really help Darnold, whether he is throwing from the pocket or on the run.
Let the Jets find an offensive lineman with the second pick (48th). I don’t trust Douglas to find a receiver in the second or third round. He couldn’t do that lately in Philly, so what’s changed? And when the last running back loaded draft came around, under another regime, the Jets drafted Elijah McGuire, he was the 20th running back in that draft. Don’t wait again for a receiver with one of the two 3rd rounders they have as an example. The Jets being the Jets will get similar results no matter the regime.
This draft will decide how Douglas’s reign will go. He was going to get terrific players off the waiver wire last summer and failed at that and now he’s whiffed in free agency. If he has bad results in this draft a lot of things will happen, one of them will be to decide to pay Darnold big money down the road or take another QB in the draft and start all over again and I can tell you many of us are getting tired of that strategy.