NFL Draft: When Zach Wilson Goes to New York Jets, He’s Following

In less than three weeks, Zach Wilson’s life will change forever when he is considered an expected early first player in the 2021 NFL draft.

The prevailing belief is that Wilson, the former quarterback of BYU and Corner Canyon High, will go to the New York Jets with the overall number 2 (the draft begins on April 29 and ends on May 1), especially after the Jets recently traded their starting quarterback from the past three seasons, Sam Darnold.

If Wilson finally goes to New York, what awaits him with the Jets? New York comes with a 2-14 season and last had a winning record in 2015. It’s been more than a decade since the franchise last reached the playoffs, when it lost the 2009 AFC Conference Championship. in 2010.

The team is on its third head coach in four years as former San Francisco 49ers defense coordinator Robert Saleh replaced Adam Gase in the off-season after Gase was 9-23 in two campaigns. Saleh took former 49ers passing coordinator Mike LaFleur – who is part of the Kyle Shanahan coaching staff – with him to be the Jets’ attacking coordinator.

Important assets

In addition to the possession of the no. 2 in this year’s NFL Draft, New York has ten picks in the first three rounds of the next two drafts. These choices will help define the legacy of general manager Joe Douglas, who took over as the team’s GM in the summer of 2019.

This year, the Jets have the five choices in the first three rounds:

• No. 2, first round
• 23 (from Seattle), first round
• 34, second round
• No. 66, third round
• No. 86 (from Seattle), third round

In 2022, they will:

• First two rounds (one from Seattle)
• Two selections from the second round (one from Carolina)
• One choice in the third round

After trading in Darnold, the Jets possessed 21 drafts over the next two years, including the additional selection in the second round in 2022 acquired in the Darnold trade.

This allows New York and Douglas enough assets to build a young team around Wilson. With the off-season well underway, the Jets have already made several moves to build their 2021 team. Here’s what the current offensive staff of the Jets look like.

Back player

Main deviations: Sam Darnold, Joe Flacco

With 23-year-old Darnold transferred to the Panthers, it was a new quarterback era for the Jets. Darnold, the third overall pick in the 2018 draft, never thrived in New York, with a 13-25 record as QB, while completing 59.8% of his career highs for 8,097 yards, 45 touchdowns and 39 touchdowns. He gets a chance in Carolina to revive his career.

Wilson would inherit an offense that ended the worst season in the NFL in the overall offense in the 2020 season, averaging 279.9 yards per game – one of only two teams below an average of 300 yards – and just 4.7 yards per game.

Also missing is veteran rugby buddy Joe Flacco, who is now with the Philadelphia Eagles. He left the team with two young backs, but Mike White and James Morgan have never taken a regular season.

With the departure of Flacco as a free agency, New York needs a trusted veteran in the quarterback room. A potential candidate for the role emerged earlier this week when Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Brian Hoyer was going to meet with the team.

The 35-year-old free agent, who has been in the NFL for more than a decade, was with the New England Patriots last season.

Run back

Main addition: Tevin Coleman

Main room: Frank Gore

Last year’s leading rusher, 37-year-old Gore, is now a free agent after chasing 653 yards and two touchdowns in 2020. That leaves the team’s top-returning rusher as La’Mical Perine, who was back for the second year, with 232 stormy yards – averaging 3.6 per carry – and twice last season.

The team gets help in Coleman, who previously played for the 49ers and is very familiar with Saleh and LaFleur. Coleman has missed almost all of 2020 with knee problems, though he was only three years removed from an 800-year stormy season with Atlanta. He joined the Jets on a $ 1.1 million a year deal with Spotrac.

If New York wants to look at young backs early in this year’s draft, it includes Clvison’s Travis Etienne, Najee Harris of Alabama and Javonte Williams of North Carolina.

Broad receiver

Main additions: Corey Davis, Keelan Cole

Main room: Breshad Perriman

The Jets were busier at the wide receiver position than other places this season, starting with the addition of former Tennessee Titan Davis, who signed New York for a three-year contract of $ 37.5 million per Spotrac. The 6-foot-3 Davis has had nearly 3,000 receptions at the Titans in four seasons and comes from a career year with 65 receptions for 984 yards and five touchdowns. He must enter the No. 1 receiver role in New York.

The Jets also added another young receiving weapon in Cole, which went undefeated in 2017 but had 55 catches for 642 yards last year and five touchdowns for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He can be a great addition to the passing attack, at least fixed depth. He showed similar numbers to what Perriman, who left for Detroit in free agency, did for the Jets last season.

The two join Jamison Crowder, the team’s best offensive weapon last year, and sophomore Denzel Mims. Crowder, who had 59 catches for 699 yards and six touchdowns last year, is in the final year of his contract and will be paid $ 10 million per Spotrac in 2021, while Mims received 357 yards on 23 receptions as a rookie.

Tight end

Important addition: Tyler Kroft

The Jets don’t have much on the tight spot, and their only addition is Kroft, who in 2017 had 42 receptions for 404 yards and seven touchdowns for Cincinnati. Other than that, however, he rarely provided consistent pass-catching abilities. during his six years in the NFL.

In addition, Chris Herndon (287 yards and three touchdowns last year) and Ryan Griffin return for an otherwise flawed position group.

Some of Kyle Pitts, Florida, is the best player in this year’s draft, but if the Jets as expected on Wilson no. 2 is, they will not have the chance to catch Pitts without returning to the top. 5. In addition to Pitts, the prospects of top finishes in this year’s draft include Notre Dame’s Tommy Tremble, Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth, Boston College’s Hunter Long and Miami’s Brevin Jordan as the Jets in the early rounds want to follow the route.

Offensive line

Main addition: Dan Feeney

The Jets have lost a few players this season from their offensive line in Pat Elflein (to Carolina) and Josh Andrews (to Atlanta), both of whom had a handful starting in 2020. nor a great loss. Feeney, who joined New York, also did not create much excitement, although he was able to start a starting point for the Jets line.

New York’s leading linebacker is second – year striker Mekhi Becton, the team’s top draft pick in 2019. Before there was a buzz that the Jets were likely to go with a quarterback, there were speculations that the team perhaps in Desert Hills High’s Penei Sewell on No. 2, which would give them some young promising tackles. Still, Becton was the bright spot on the Jets line last year, finishing 19th among 38 qualifying left tackles with a 74.3 degree from Pro Football Focus.

New York could use even more help on the line – Pro Football Focus ranked the Jets as the fourth worst offensive line in the league last year, and the team gave up 43 bags. New York was also one of the NFLs worst in yards per carry (4.1, sixth worst).