The first round of the 2021 NFL draft couldn’t have gone better for the Jets.
Not only did New York grab Zach Wilson – one of the best quarterbacks in the class – but Joe Douglas also moved up nine spots to take arguably the best zone-blocking guard in the draft, Alijah Vera-Tucker.
“I feel like the ballclub improved,” Douglas said, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “I feel good about the two people and players we brought in — just ecstatic, really, about those two young men.”
While the final evaluation of either pick won’t be seen for quite some time, the immediate improvements at two key positions on offense are important first steps in the Jets’ quest to regain relevance in the league. Douglas paid a hefty price to go up and snag Vera-Tucker, but it was certainly worth it for what he ended up adding to the Jets.
Here are Jets Wire’s Day 1 grades for the Jets.