It’s been a long time since pundits and disgruntled Jets fans have been overly satisfied with the team’s draft selections. The 2022 NFL Draft hasn’t made up for all of their bad choices, but it has given the fan base hope.
Last Thursday in Round 1, the Jets took University of Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner with the No. 4 pick. They made Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson the No. 10 selection and followed that up with taking defensive end Jermaine Johnson II from Florida State at No. 26. On Friday, the Jets maneuvered up from the 38th pick to the 36th and grabbed Iowa State’s Breece Hall, who many draft analysts had rated as the top running back.
There were few complaints directed at Jets general manager Joe Douglas by the end of the draft on Saturday night. He was widely credited for doing a masterful job of getting the best players available to fill the Jets’ needs.
“I feel like we’re a better team now than we were going into this weekend,” said Douglas in conducting his first post draft press conference of the 2022 season. “I feel like we’re a better team now than we were to start the entire offseason.”
Douglas was quick to compliment his staff’s work, sharing the credit for what he believes was a successful draft.
“A lot of that credit goes to Coach [Robert Saleh] and his staff, Rex [Hogan, assistant GM], all our personnel staff working together,” he stated. “It’s just a real team effort to give us this chance to go into a season improved at some different spots, adding quality depth to the team, adding some guys that we feel can be explosive, dynamic playmakers for us.”
In Round 3, the Jets added Ohio State tight end Jeremy Ruckert, a native of Lindenhurst, New York, with the 101st pick. They had two picks in the fourth round and used them on Max Mitchell, an offensive tackle from Louisiana with the 111th pick, and defensive end Michael Clemons from Texas A&M at 117.