The Jets, who struggled in the top-heavy A.F.C. East behind the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots last season, won only four games, earning the No. 4 overall pick in the upcoming draft. Because they traded safety Jamal Adams to the Seahawks in 2020, the Jets also hold Seattle’s No. 10 overall pick, giving them, in total, seven more selections in the six remaining rounds.
The bounty of draft picks is expected to help Saleh, who is in his second season as head coach, continue an organizational rebuild that began with his hire and the selection of quarterback Zach Wilson with the No. 2 pick before the 2021 season. The Jets have not had a winning season since 2015, and when the team trudged to a 2-8 start in 2021, Saleh said the team would not take a reactive approach to correct the slump.
“I respect the heck out of the urgency from the fans and the wanting to flip this thing, but in fairness, this is the first time this fan base is actually experiencing something like this,” Saleh said in November. “Usually it’s been a quick fix, followed by a scramble. This is an actual plan.”
Saleh’s remarks on Wednesday seemed to hint at the next phase of that plan, one which does not rely on vetting prospects en masse from a centralized location. Saleh and his assistants coached some of college football’s top players at the Senior Bowl in early February, an experience that Saleh said gave them more meaningful hands-on opportunities to interact with prospects.
The Jets may also trade some draft picks, General Manager Joe Douglas said, which could rearrange their strategy this off-season. Douglas said the team is “open for business” and will entertain calls from other teams looking to move up or target a college player.