The Jets haven’t had a great secondary in a long time thanks to their terrible track record drafting cornerbacks.
Only two of the 15 cornerbacks drafted by the Jets since 2000, Darrelle Revis and Kyle Wilson, have started more than 20 games for the team. That miss percentage is almost as bad as the Jets’ receiver woes in the draft over the last 20 years.
Wilson shouldn’t even be considered a successful selection considering he tallied only three interceptions and 17 pass breakups in five years after the Jets took him 29th overall in 2010. He never lived up to the hard-hitting persona he earned at Boise State. The only true quality draft selection in the cornerback department was Revis, who intercepted 25 passes, broke up 112 passes and tallied 388 combined tackles in eight seasons in New York.
Cornerback is once again a need for the Jets heading into the 2020 draft, and general manager Joe Douglas has a prime opportunity to find a quality starter in the first three rounds. It’s unlikely the Jets will take a cornerback with the 11th overall pick unless Jeff Okudah falls or they love C.J. Henderson, but it wouldn’t be surprising for Douglas to grab a corner with at least one of his three picks in the second and third rounds.
The Jets need a shutdown cornerback to join the group led by free agent acquisition Pierre Desir and 2019 starters Bless Austin and Arthur Maulet. They could find one with their 48th, 68th or 79th picks. It might be hard given the Jets’ abysmal pattern of poor second-round picks, but Douglas needs to upgrade a valuable position.
New York struck gold in 2019 with Austin in the sixth round and now should be able to upgrade the secondary once more in a deep cornerback class. They’ve already met with some of the best second-tier players at the position, including Trevon Diggs, Jeff Gladney, Kristian Fulton, Amik Robertson and Cameron Dantzler. All five fall in the late-first-to-third-round range and all could be targets for the Jets. Other corners like Noah Igbinoghene, Damon Arnette and Bryce Hall should also be on the table.
This wouldn’t be the first time the Jets used a premier pick on a cornerback – they’ve drafted five in the first three rounds since 2000. Revis, Wilson and Dee Milliner (2013) were all first-round picks for the Jets, while Justin Miller was drafted in the second round in 2005 and Dexter McDougle in the third in 2014. Only Revis worked out, but that could change in 2020 if the Jets find the right cornerback to fit Gregg Williams’ defense.
The Jets have the fewest homegrown players on their roster entering the 2020 season. That needs to change, starting with this draft. Cornerback is a position the Jets must draft again and Douglas did a solid job with the position during his time in Philadelphia. The Eagles drafted four cornerbacks during Douglas’ time as vice president of player personnel, three of which have started at least eight games since 2017 – Avonte Maddox, Sidney Jones, and Rasul Douglas. Though none are shutdown corners and have been problematic at times in coverage, all three are still very young and have shown promise at times.
Williams’ defense is missing a lot of things, but cornerback may be the final piece to unlocking a truly terrifying unit. The Jets still need a potent pass rusher, but a solid stable of cornerbacks on the outside will make the entire defense sound, especially against division opponents with suspect starters at the quarterback position.