2021 NFL draft: Jets receiving ‘significant interest’ in No. 34 overall pick

The Jets could be looking to trade the No. 34 pick in order to restock their draft pick cupboard.

Could trader Joe be on the verge of making another draft-day deal?

The Jets are receiving “significant interest” in the No. 34 overall pick ahead of day two of the 2021 NFL draft, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Per Rapoport, the Jaguars are “likely” to make their pick at No. 33, leaving the Jets as a potential trade partner for teams looking to move up to draft a prospect they thought would go off the board in the first round.

Trading the 34th pick would allow Joe Douglas to restock the cupboard, as New York is left with just one pick between the second and third round after trading with the Vikings to move up to No. 14 and draft USC interior offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker on Thursday night. The Jets sent picks No. 66 and No. 86 — both of their third round selections — to Minnesota in order to move up nine spots to land Vera-Tucker. New York also received pick No. 143, a fifth round selection.

If the Jets stand pat at No. 34, possible targets include Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramah, Georgia EDGE Azeez Ojulari, Ole Miss wide receiver Elijah Moore, North Carolina running back Javonte Williams and Georgia cornerback Tyson Campbell, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini. If Douglas ultimately decides to move down from No. 34, New York will net additional draft capital to address its bevy of needs.

Zach Wilson just the 5th BYU draft pick in Jets history

Jets Wire takes a look at each player from BYU the Jets have drafted throughout their history.

The Jets turned to a school they have not had much success drafting out of to land their next potential franchise quarterback, selecting Zach Wilson with the No. 2 pick on Thursday night.

Wilson is just the fifth player from BYU the Jets have ever drafted, the last coming in 1999. BYU churns out NFL talent on a yearly basis, but New York has never quite hit on its selections from the school. The hope is that Wilson can buck that trend and lead Gang Green back to prominence.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane and see how the careers of New York’s other draft picks from BYU turned out.

10 facts about Jets No. 2 overall draft pick QB Zach Wilson

The New York Jets selected QB Zach Wilson No. 2 overall in the 2021 NFL draft. Here are 10 facts surrounding the pick.

The New York Jets went with a quarterback and selected former BY Cougar Zach Wilson. The No. 2 overall pick becomes another solution at quarterback for the frustrated Jets.

Here are 10 facts surrounding the Jets’ selection of Wilson at No. 2 overall in Round 1 of the 2021 NFL draft.

Jets lock in No. 2 pick after win over Browns, Jaguars loss

The Jets locked in the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL draft with their win over the Browns in Week 16.

The tank for Trevor Lawrence is officially over.

With the Jets defeating the Browns and the Jaguars getting blown out by the Bears in Week 16, New York locked in the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL draft. Jacksonville is locked in with the No. 1 pick following its loss to Chicago.

Sitting at 0-13 with three weeks left to play, the Jets seemed to be on a crash course to land the top pick in the upcoming draft, which is all but certain to net Lawrence. However, New York stunned the Rams in Week 15 and took advantage of the short-handed Browns on Sunday to put together a two-game winning streak.

The Jaguars, meanwhile, continued their losing ways and now sit at 1-14 entering Week 17. Even if Jacksonville won and New York lost to conclude 2020, the Jaguars would still hold the strength of schedule tiebreaker for the No. 1 pick.

With Lawrence now seemingly out of reach, it’s back to the drawing board for Joe Douglas and the Jets’ front office. The good news for New York is it will have no shortage of quality options with the No. 2 pick — assuming Douglas elects to stay put and does not trade down in order to accumulate more draft capital.

New York has picked second in the draft only twice in its history. Those picks resulted in Blair Thomas and Johnny “Lam” Jones, both of whom did not pan out. The hope is that Douglas and company can reverse Gang Green’s second-pick misfortunes and soften the blow of missing out on Lawrence by landing an instant impact player that can help the Jets dig out of the doldrums right away.

Jets lock in No. 2 pick after win over Browns, Jaguars loss

The Jets locked in the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL draft with their win over the Browns in Week 16.

The tank for Trevor Lawrence is officially over.

With Quincy Enunwa’s release, Rex Ryan’s Jets are extinct

There are no players left from any of Rex Ryan’s teams following Quincy Enunwa’s release.

Quincy Enunwa was the last man standing from the Rex Ryan era, but his release put a close on that chapter of Jets football.

The Jets moved on from Enunwa on Monday after six seasons with the organization. The wide receiver was already going to miss the 2020 season due to a lingering neck injury.

Enunwa was drafted by the Jets in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of the University of Nebraska. He emerged in 2015 when he had 315 receiving yards in 12 games. Enunwa broke out in 2016 when he recorded 857 receiving yards and four touchdowns. However, his NFL career was derailed by neck injuries, first in 2017, then in 2019 and now again in 2020. There’s a chance he never plays football again.

Enunwa’s release also means that the Jets no longer employ any players who played for Rex Ryan. Prior to Sunday, Brian Winters was only other player remaining from Ryan’s teams, but he was let go on and has since signed with the Bills. Ryan coached the Jets from 2009-2014 before he was fired.

Enunwa’s release also means that all of John Idzik’s draft picks are no longer with the team. The Jets now have zero picks on the team from before the 2016 NFL Draft. They have one player from the 2016 draft, Jordan Jenkins, and one player from the 2017 draft, Marcus Maye, still with the team. New York still has four of its players from the 2018 draft and five from the 2019 draft.

All these draft picks that are no longer with the team shows how poorly the Jets have drafted this decade. It also shows hows Joe Douglas has overturned New York’s roster in his first year as Jets general manager.

If he hopes to turn the tide this decade, he will have to be a much better drafter than his predecessors.

5 Jets rookies that have a chance at starting in 2020

Jets Wire takes a look at five rookies that have a chance to start for Gang Green in 2020.

Joe Douglas’ approach to the 2020 NFL Draft not only landed the Jets players with the potential to become great down the road, but also players that can come in and make an impact right away.

Of Douglas’ nine picks in his first draft as a general manager, five of them have a legitimate chance to crack the starting lineup at some point in 2020, assuming the develop as expected throughout the offseason and stay healthy. It might take longer than usual for New York’s rookie class to reach its potential given the limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the chance for numerous neophytes to play major roles on both sides of the ball this upcoming season is certainly there.

So, which Jets rookies have the best chance to start in 2020? Let’s take a look.

Mekhi Becton

This one is a no brainer, as Becton is a lock to begin 2020 as New York’s starting left tackle.

It remains to be seen how effective Becton will be in his rookie season. He is already a mauler when run blocking, but needs a little bit of work with his technique in pass protection. Either way, he will have the chance to develop as a member of the starting lineup all season.

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The Jets’ 4 biggest weaknesses after the 2020 NFL Draft

Jets Wire takes a look at four needs that the Jets still need to address following the 2020 NFL Draft.

Jets general manager Joe Douglas did a nice job addressing needs throughout the 2020 NFL Draft, but there is still work to be done to patch up the remaining holes on New York’s roster.

Not one single draft is going to completely fix a roster. As well as Douglas did in his first draft running the show, it’s going to take more than rookies at positions of need to turn the Jets from a 7-9 team in 2019 to a contender in 2020.

Which positions still need some work? Let’s take a look.

Wide Receiver

With the addition of Denzel Mims, the Jets now have a decent enough quartet of receivers for Sam Darnold to work with. Decent enough isn’t going to help the Jets achieve a winning record in 2020, though.

What if Mims does not develop as quickly as expected as a rookie? What if Quincy Enunwa succumbs to injuries again? These question marks require New York to go out and add more depth at the position. Josh Doctson and Vyncint Smith have the potential to become contributors, but there is no point in banking on players reaching their potential when veteran free agents still remain on the market.

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Updated Jets depth chart following 2020 NFL Draft

Jets Wire evaluates the Jets’ depth chart following the 2020 NFL Draft.

With the 2020 NFL Draft now in the books, the Jets’ depth chart has a new look to it.

New York added nine new players, including cornerback Quincy Wilson in a trade with the Colts, over three days. Some, like first-round selection Mekhi Becton, are a lock to either start or contribute from day one. Others will have to scratch and claw to prove their worth and make the roster.

With a number of quality players still available in free agency, Gang Green’s depth chart could change in the coming weeks. For now, let’s take a look at how things stand after the draft.

Quarterback

Starter: Sam Darnold

Backups: David Fales, James Morgan, Mike White

There is a new backup in town with the selection of Florida International quarterback James Morgan in the fourth round. David Fales is currently New York’s No. 2 signal caller, but that could easily change in training camp.

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Jets trade 211th pick for Colts CB Quincy Wilson

The Jets have traded the 211th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for cornerback Quincy Wilson.

A second-round pick out of Florida in 2017, Wilson never quite worked out in Indianapolis. He saw substantial playing time as a rookie and performed relatively well in 2018, but quickly fell down the Colts cornerback depth chart after Indianapolis transitioned to a zone-heavy defensive scheme. In three seasons with the Colts, Wilson recorded 61 tackles, eight pass deflections, and two interceptions.

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Unless general manager Joe Douglas trades into the seventh round, the Jets are out of draft picks. New York entered the draft with eight picks and finished with nine after Douglas made a trade with the Seahawks to acquire a third-round selection, which he parlayed into multiple fourth-round picks in a trade with the Patriots.