The New York Jets hope that in years to come, their portion of the 2021 NFL Draft will be looked upon as the one in which they finally found their franchise quarterback.
But after selecting BYU’s Zach Wilson with the second overall pick, the Jets made nine other choices. Their draft was neatly separated into two sections—offense with the first four picks, defense with the last six. Of course, it won’t be known until a few years down the road how they did, but that doesn’t stop any of us from analyzing and projecting how it might go. So let’s get started.
Offense
Of course, Wilson is the centerpiece of this draft for good reason. General manager Joe Douglas admitted after the pick that the Jets had their eye on the 6-2, 214-pound Wilson for a long time, and that his performance on his March 26 pro day “cemented” his status as the Jets’ selection. Certainly, Wilson has almost all the things one would want in an NFL quarterback. He has arm strength, mobility, escapability, the latter two of which assist in a new catchphrase among scouts, personnel people and coaches, the ability to make plays off schedule, i.e., away from the pocket. New York also believes he will be able to process and get through his progressions once he makes the adjustment to the pro game.
The major question marks are his lack of experience against big-time programs and his small frame, which helped lead to injuries during his college career. Douglas downplayed the former concern, noting how Wilson guided the Cougars to wins over Tennessee (on the road) and USC during his sophomore season of 2019. As for his upper-body strength, it remains to be seen if he can increase his muscle mass somewhat so that he becomes more durable after missing five games in 2019 and undergoing shoulder surgery before that campaign. He did play the whole 12-game season for BYU in 2020.
This is no longer about whether or not the Jets gave Sam Darnold as much help as they could have in terms of coaching and supporting cast (they didn’t) or whether Darnold showed enough on his own to make people believe he would someday be a franchise quarterback (he didn’t). For New York, it’s full steam ahead with Wilson and he and the players and coaching staff around him will write a new story. Whether it has a happier ending remains to be seen.
As for that supporting cast, Douglas and the Jets continued to build it 12 picks later by selecting USC guard Alijah Vera-Tucker. Vera-Tucker projects as a left guard for New York, which is the position he played in 2019 as a junior for the Trojans. He played left tackle for USC in all six games during the Pac-12's truncated 2020 season, grading out at an excellent 89.2 on pass blocking on pure pass sets according to Pro Football Focus. He allowed only three pressures on 192 dropbacks last season, according to PFF.
Vera-Tucker is as close to a sure thing as you will find in the NFL Draft, and he needs to be. Douglas and the Jets paid dearly to get him, spending two third-round picks to move up nine spots to draft him. It marked the first time in 17 years that an NFL team traded up within the first round to select a guard. The Jets sent picks No. 66 and 86 to Minnesota, dealing themselves entirely out of the third round with a roster that still has about as many holes as the plotline of a typical superhero movie.
Also, the 66th pick, in essence, might as well have been a late second-rounder. To justify the price the Jets paid, Vera-Tucker needs to play at a perennial Pro Bowl level.
Douglas said the Jets had a top 10 grade on Vera-Tucker. A day later, he said they had a top 25 grade on Mississippi wide receiver Elijah Moore, whom New York selected with the 34th overall pick, the second one in the second round. Moore had 86 receptions for the Rebels in the 2020 season, including 61 from the slot, according to PFF. Coach Robert Saleh said of Moore, “He’s dynamic. When he gets the ball in his hands, he becomes something different.”
Moore was targeted 12 times in Mississippi’s 63-48 loss to Alabama last season, and had 11 catches. The Jets obviously seem him as the type of offensive weapon who can make Wilson’s transition to the NFL easier. Douglas refused to say Moore’s addition to the fold means the end of incumbent slot receiver Jamison Crowder’s career with the Jets, but considering they can save more than $10 million against the cap by cutting him, one would think he either will be released or at the very least asked to restructure his contract.
The Jets wrapped up their offensive blitz by selecting North Carolina running back Michael Carter with the second pick of the fourth round (No. 107) on Day Three. Carter, who rushed for 1,245 yards with an 8.0-yard average in 2020, is a perfect fit for the new offense the Jets are installing. Carter doesn’t have top-end speed but has great quickness and gets to the edge, which is what is needed in the Shanahan-style zone-run offense that favors going outside the tackles.
In terms of running backs, the 49ers haven’t gone for stars, preferring instead to find backs in the middle rounds or ones that are overlooked. In essence, the system is the star. Carter projects as a value pick.
Defense
After picking the first of two players named Michael Carter they got in the draft, the Jets began looking for defense. First on the agenda at No. 146 was Auburn safety Jamien Sherwood, whom New York projects as a linebacker. Sherwood said he played linebacker on third down, so that should ease his transition a little bit.
Eight picks later, they selected Duke safety Michael Carter II, who projects as a safety or nickel cornerback. Carter does know his namesake and played against him in that Tobacco Road rivalry, and admitted that “although he has tackled him—somehow the universe didn’t implode into antimatter—“he got the best of me one time”. The two have trained together and UNC’s Carter jokingly called Carter II “twin” on Twitter after the latter was selected.
Carter II was a three-year starter for the Blue Devils and brings versatility in the back end. It's unclear if he could be a slot corner immediately. Veteran Brian Poole is still unsigned. He started nine games last season before being lost for the season with a kneeinjury.
Jason Pinnock is the first Pitt cornerback the Jets have selected since the legendary Darrelle Revis in 2007. Of course, Pinnock was taken at No. 175, so the expectations are a bit lower. Pinnock has excellent ball skills, but also was beaten deep numerous times last season, which is why he went in the fifth round. He often was all-or-nothing with the Panthers, but has potential.
“I’ve been a fan (of the Jets) since Revis,” Pinnock said. “It’s almost like life has come full circle. It’s surreal.”
The Jets took another box safety whom they intend to move to linebacker at No. 186. Much like Sherwood, Florida State’s Hamsah Nasirilideen is a hard-hitter. He slipped to the sixth round because an ACL injury and subsequent surgery in 2019 that caused him to miss all but two games of the 2020 season.
Nasirildeen said he considers himself a “first-round talent.” He figures to be a special-teamer in 2021, as does Sherwood, as they both try to make the transition.
At pick No. 200, the Jets took another cornerback, Kentucky’s Brandin Echols. He opened eyes with a 4.35 40-yard dash at Kentucky’s pro day. The former junior-college player has big-time speed and a terrific vertical leap, but the consensus of scouts is that his hips are a bit tight, which makes changing directions a bit difficult. That probably is why he went so late.
Finally, the Jets selected Arkansas defensive tackle Jonathan Marshall at No. 207 in the sixth round. He seems like a developmental choice, because he only started for one season, and that was in a 3-4 scheme. Now he will have to transition into a 4-3 with New York.
Takeaways
No matter what happens with any of the other prospects, this Jets’ draft almost certainly will be remembered for Zach Wilson. Whether he succeeds or fails will determine how this draft ultimately is graded. But there is more to it than that. In particular, as noted, the Jets surrendered plenty of draft capital to select Vera-Tucker. Scouts see him as nearly a can’t-miss prospect and he must be great to justify the team’s investment in him. Vera-Tucker must become a cornerstone of the O-line for years to come.
San Francisco hasn’t selected a cornerback earlier than the third round since 2004 and Saleh, who was the 49ers’ defensive coordinator from 2017-20, either seems to have adopted that philosophy or else it meshed with his pre-existing one. That was how the Jets approached things this time or just how the board fell to them. Perhaps Saleh and his defensive staff believe they can coach up those late-round prospects. Carter II seems to have the best chance to start in 2021, although Pinnock’s nose for the ball makes him an intriguing project if he can become better at diagnosing routes.
As for the present, a Richard Sherman reunion with Saleh is possible. One would think the veteran cornerback would want to sign with a team with a better chance at post-season play, but if he has no other options, this may become a marriage of convenience for both sides.
The Jets didn’t get an edge rusher or a fullback in the draft. Cincinnati's Carl Lawson, imported as a free agent with $30 million guaranteed, is a worthy addition but still is not the type of pass rusher who gives upcoming opponents sleepless nights. Nasirildeen was drafted two spots after Baltimore took Michigan fullback Ben Mason, the only player at that position who was drafted this year.
The Jets chose not to sign anyone at that position afterward, although they did sign Oregon State edge rusher Hamilcar Rashed Jr., who had a very productive 2019 season with 14 sacks in 11 games before struggling in 2020 with zero sacks in seven games during an injury-plagues season. Other interesting undrafted free agents picked up by New York included SMU kicker Chris Naggar, who hit 17 of 21 field-goal attempts last season, including 6-for-8 from 40-49 yards, and tight end Kenny Yeboah, who recorded 27 receptions for a 19.4-yard average and six touchdowns for Mississippi last season as a grad transfer.
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New York Jets’ 2021 NFL Draft: Which Holes Were Filled, Which Ones Were Not - Forbes
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