With the Jets trading away Sam Darnold and holding the second overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, is it safe to assume the seemingly obvious, that Gang Green will take BYU’s Zach Wilson and try again at grooming their future franchise quarterback?
General manager Joe Douglas wouldn’t say for sure when he spoke with reporters on Tuesday, but it appears apparent that Wilson’s name will be called when it’s the Jets’ turn to make a pick later this month.
“I think that’s a fair assessment to say based on the decision we made yesterday,” Douglas said. “You can kind of see the direction we’re heading.”
That decision to deal Darnold to the Panthers for a trio of draft picks over the next two years shows New York didn’t believe Darnold would necessarily thrive with better personnel around him, and after three seasons of struggling, Douglas and the Jets were ready to move on from a former third overall pick who was selected shortly before Douglas took over as general manager.
Still, Douglas had high praise for Darnold on his way out.
“I had a great conversation with Sam yesterday,” Douglas said. “Like I tell you guys all the time, I’m not going to get into the specifics, but Sam if a first-class human being. A pro’s pro. I really respect Sam. I’m rooting for Sam, and I know he’s going to be successful.”
With Darnold gone, the Jets have now dealt away multiple former first-round picks that they drafted themselves, including Leonard Williams and Jamal Adams, both drafted sixth overall in previous drafts. With Douglas now fully settled into his new role, he hopes that trend comes to an end, especially with their second overall pick this year, widely expected to be used on Wilson.
“When I walked in this building in June of 2019, I never thought we’d be sitting here talking about…trading Leonard, trading Jamal…and now Sam,” Douglas said. “Ultimately, we want to be a great team that drafts, develops and retains their players, not draft, develop and trade. You try to take the information at hand and make the best decision you can moving forward. Ultimately, these decisions were made, we were able to acquire assets to help us moving forward.”
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