SI Gives New York Jets Mediocre Mark for Draft Haul, Joe Douglas Disagrees

If Cs get degrees, then the New York Jets are in the top half of the class for their performance at the 2024 NFL Draft.

Sports Illustrated scribe Matthew Verderame graded all 32 teams’ draft hauls, dealing the Jets a “B-” for the sum of their seven picks.

New York general manager Joe Douglas most likely disagrees with Verderame’s assessment.

“We added a lot of quality players to this team and our types of guys, guys that we’re all excited to add,” said Douglas on Saturday evening.

The Jets were without a second-round selection, as a result of last year’s trade for quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and they were unable to get back into Round 2. Instead, New York wound up with three fifth-rounders.

“So, with the amount of players that we had that we liked we were able to trade back and get the guys we wanted,” said Douglas.

New York used its first two selections to fill voids on offense. They drafted for the future at No. 11 overall, selecting Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu, who will likely spend the 2024 season as a backup to 33-year-old starters Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses. In Round 3, the Jets moved up seven slots to add a pass-catcher to Rodgers’s arsenal.

“Honestly, just fell that way with the board. Obviously, with the first two picks on Thursday and Friday being offense and then coming out of the gate with running back, quarterback, running back and then we finally picked the defensive player,” said Douglas.

From SI’s 2024 NFL Draft Grades:

“The Jets deserve credit. They could have made the flashy pick of a pass catcher in the first round, but instead took a top-three tackle in a loaded class with Fashanu. Then, in the third round, New York found its receiver in the 215-pound Corley. The Jets are trying to build a contender around the aging Aaron Rodgers and this class did a nice job of helping that cause.”