Few teams received higher post-draft grades than the New York Jets. With three first-round picks, including two in the top 10, and all seven total selections coming within the first four rounds, the Jets are conjuring excitement following their haul in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Speaking at the end-of-draft press conference on Saturday, Jets coach Robert Saleh was unquestionably happy with the results but had no delusions about the positive reviews.
"That's for you guys," said Saleh, via the team's website. "I've also been in places where we've been universally mocked. I think we took Bruce Irvin, Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson in the first three rounds and got a D-grade."
Saleh, who was with the Seattle Seahawks ahead of their franchise-altering draft in 2012, recognized the work that needs to be done in order to substantiate those post-draft evaluations.
"It doesn't matter," Saleh said. "We've got to help them, we've got to put them in the best position possible. We'll know in three years."
Jets general manager Joe Douglas was aggressive in his third draft with the team. After taking cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson at No. 4 and No. 10 overall, respectively, Douglas traded his way back into the first round to nab pass rusher Jermaine Johnson II.
Douglas was quick to make a pick on Day 2 by trading up again to select the first running back off the board in Breece Hall. Tight end Jeremy Ruckert was the Jets' third-round pick before finishing the draft with tackle Max Mitchell and defensive end Michael Clemons in the fourth round.
"I feel like we're a better team now than we were going into this weekend," Douglas said. "I feel like we're a better team now than we were to start the entire offseason. A lot of that credit goes to coach and his staff, Rex [Hogan, assistant GM], all our personnel staff working together. 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."
The Jets are seeking the most improvement from second-year quarterback Zach Wilson in 2022. As he alluded to ahead of the draft, Douglas aimed to help last year's second-overall pick by adding difference-makers on both sides of the ball in the first round to further the most critical developmental case for the Jets.
"I feel like all three of these guys can help Zach in different ways," Douglas said, via the Associated Press. "Whether it's helping him on the field on offense or getting the ball back to him as quick as possible."
As for Wilson's newest offensive weapons, Douglas wanted playmakers that can stretch the field and potentially take the pressure off the Jets QB.
"Part of the goal," he said, "was to add some guys that when they touch the ball, they can take it 80 (yards)."
With the AFC East being a three-team race the last six years (Jets have finished last in five of those seasons), Saleh is aware of New York's yearning for improvement following a four-win season. While the Jets' 2022 draft class boasts great promise, Saleh was adamant that the team's future success will be an internal challenge rather than one chasing their divisional foes.
"It's not necessarily comparing us to what they have," Saleh said. "It's just building a roster that we have a vision for, that can execute our schemes, that can execute the character we want, that can execute the things we need to get done. The idea of closing the gap isn't necessarily trying to combat what they have, it's trying to get better with what we have, adding pieces, adding players, developing those players.
"I think there's a clear vision for every single player we've brought in, from free agency to the draft. Now it's just going on the field and implementing that vision and getting those guys to play to the best of their ability."