If Joe Douglas wants to build through the draft, he could learn a lesson from the team that just beat his Jets.
The Chiefs drafted almost every offensive skill position player who played in Week 8. Patrick Mahomes is the crown jewel of the group, but Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Mecole Hardman were all selected by the Chiefs over the past seven years and have become staples of the offense. The lone exception, ironically, was Le’Veon Bell.
This is the type of draft success Douglas needs to foster if he wants to establish a winning culture in New York. The Chiefs excelled at finding quality talent throughout the draft and developing stars. Douglas has laid the groundwork for a solid young core after his first draft, but he has a long way to go.
What’s even more impressive about the Chiefs is their ability to find offensive talent all over the draft. Mahomes and Edwards-Helaire were both first-round picks, but Kelce was a third-rounder, Hardman was a second-rounder and Hill was a fifth-rounder. Receiver Demarcus Robinson, who has tallied more than 800 yards and eight touchdowns over the past two seasons, was a fourth-round pick. Kansas City even found contributors among undrafted free agents Darrel Williams and Byron Pringle.
The Jets, meanwhile, have notoriously drafted poorly and overspent in free agency. Sam Darnold, Chris Herndon and Trevon Wesco are the only active offensive players on the roster who were drafted before 2020. None are locks to stick around after this season.
Douglas made his first attempt to change things this year, though. He spent frugally and tried to find as much talent as he could in the draft. Mekhi Becton looks like a generational tackle, Denzel Mims looked fantastic in his two starts and La’Mical Perine has shown promise despite limited work. The position that has alluded the Jets for years, though, is quarterback. Douglas was among those who thought Darnold would be New York’s franchise quarterback, but he may be rethinking that idea after this season – especially if the Jets secure a top-three pick in the 2021 draft.
The next two years will be even more important for the future of the Jets. New York has 19 picks in the 2021 and 2022 drafts. If Douglas wants to build something even remotely close to what the Chiefs have, he’ll have to do it there. Whether that means switching quarterbacks, fortifying the offensive line or finding skill position players is up to Douglas. If he’s able, though, he needs to create an offensive identity centered around a quarterback – whether that’s Darnold or someone else – much like the Chiefs did.
But players alone don’t make the Chiefs a dominant team. Douglas needs to pair his future young players with a solid coaching staff. Andy Reid and the Chiefs offensive staff played a huge role in Mahomes’ development, while Adam Gase’s staff hasn’t done much to help Darnold in their time working together.
The Chiefs didn’t build a championship contender overnight, either. Among the Chiefs’ core of talent, only Edwards-Helaire started in his first season with the team. This was a process cultivated when Reid took over in 2013 and fully formed into a Super Bowl contender in 2018.
Douglas watched two other franchises – the Ravens and the Eagles – build foundations for long-term success through the draft before he joined the Jets in 2019. How the Chiefs have performed in the past several seasons should be just another reminder of how to create a winning franchise.