2021 NFL Team Draft Page

As expected, the Jets land their QB of choice in Zach Wilson here. Wilson is a 3-year starter at BYU that took huge strides in his final season, jumping from an expected mid-round prospect before the 2020 season started, to almost reaching the summit of this year's class. That quick rise for a QB is not unheard of, and results from previous examples vary from great to awful. While nobody is ever a sure thing, I like his chances of ending up in the positive column .

Wilson fills an obvious need, and now that the new regime has tied themselves to their QB, fans can finally feel like things can take off, and real progress can be made. While not ideal, he is landing in a better environment than the one Sam Darnold found himself in as a rookie, and Joe Douglas has a lot more draft ammo to further improve the roster . Another thing that will get overlooked is the positive that rookie contract will have over its duration. When you consider Darnold was due a new deal, that cap saving will help build a better roster long after this draft is in the books.

- Rich Tinley, Jets Analyst

Grade: A

Joe Douglas is quickly building up his reputation as a GM who will move up and down the draft board when the opportunity arises. Joe traded back in RD 2 last year and still landed a nice prospect in WR Denzel Mims. If there was any position that would have tempted Joe to trade up to this spot, it was for an OG and someone the quality of Alijah Vera-Tucker. Douglas missed out on improving the position in Free Agency when his reported number 1 target, Joe Thuney, opted to join Kansas.

The importance of improving the position rose even higher with the pick of Wilson 2nd-overall, and it looks like a wise move to try and protect the investment. Teams picking ahead of the Jets had reportedly shown lots of interest in Tucker, the highest rated interior lineman on our Big Board. Tucker has only started 19 games in his USC career, so this pick is in no way a slam-dunk, but if Joe feels like this is the guy that best improves the roster at one of its biggest weaknesses, then trading up to get him was a nice bit of business.

Grade: A

The Jets could have gone many ways with this pick ( CB, Pass Rusher, TE, RB) and hit a home run, from a filling-a-need perspective, but you can't argue with Joe Douglas' plan of giving his Rookie QB the best chance of success. Adding a weapon like Elijah Moore (84.3% of his targets caught in 2020) to the WR unit may not have been the obvious choice here, but when you can nab first-round talent in RD2, it's a job well done. With Jamison Crowder entering the final year of his contract, this pick looks like the Jets just found his replacement.

Grade: A

- Rich Tinley, Jets Analyst.