The New York Jets are in a much better spot now than when Joe Douglas took over as general manager. He and his staff have done an excellent job of adding assets so that they can continue restocking the roster.
In the competitive AFC East, where the Jets are looking up to the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins, it could be frustrating for a team knowing they are a little bit behind their direct competition. But, the Jets have put a game plan together to be competitive against their division foes and have executed well.
While there are still some holes on the roster, there is a lot of optimism surrounding the team. They seemingly have a bright future with Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh in lockstep about how to go about upgrading the roster.
The Jets may not be ready to contend just yet, but they are certainly on their way to improving their win-loss record this upcoming season. The 2022 NFL Draft will provide them with another opportunity to upgrade the talent on the roster.
New York has a chance to add multiple impact players with two first-round picks and five picks in the top-70. With nine sections overall, Douglas and company are ready to bring in some fresh new faces to continue reshaping the team in their image.
While many people will pay attention to what the Jets do early in the draft, it is how teams do later on that truly defines the success they will have. When you can find value with your selections in the middle to late rounds, that is when a team can gain an advantage.
For the Jets, one sleeper that they should have their eyes on is Georgia running back Zamir White. New York needs to continue upgrading the weapons around second-year quarterback Zach Wilson and White would be a good addition to accomplish that.
Last season, the leading rusher for the Jets was rookie Michael Carter, who ran for 639 yards. He is a solid pass-catcher as well, reeling in 36 balls for 326 yards. Adding the bruising and powerful White to the mix would enable the Jets to deploy Carter more as a receiver knowing they have someone that can handle the load on early downs.
White could be the thunder to Carter’s lightning in the backfield, giving New York another young piece to grow in their offense. Last season with the Bulldogs, White carried the ball 160 times for 856 yards and 11 touchdowns, creating a strong duo with James Cook.
His production in the passing game is certainly a red flag, but the Jets could use an early-down thumper to wear defenses down. He has two ACL tears on his resume as well, which isn’t ideal but could push his draft stock down into the later rounds. That would present a team to find some serious value, such as the Jets in the fourth round.
