With the 10th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft...

Edition #554

Good morning!

We’re officially into the off-season for the Jets. I’m undecided about what to do in terms of sends with news guaranteed to be scarce for long stretches, but if anything happens with the Jets, you can guarantee it’s going to be covered here. We’re also going to do plenty of free-agent profiles and draft profiles. We’re kicking things off with a general look at the #10 pick in the NFL draft.

The Jet’s opponents for 2024 are set. As well as the usual divisional games, the Jets will host the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, LA Rams and Seattle Seahawks. On the road, they will visit Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Minnesota, San Francisco and Arizona.

Robert Saleh was asked to evaluate his first three years in New York: "I'll leave that to you guys. There's a lot of frustration. We felt good about taking that next step this year. We got better this year."

Saleh also confirmed that while he was evaluating his entire coaching staff, he didn’t expect any significant changes, but accepted that some guys may get an opportunity to step up elsewhere. Jeff Ulbrich may get some interviews as an HC, Marquand Manuel (defensive backs/safeties) may get some interest as a DC, and Tony Oden certainly deserves a step up somewhere. Ron Middleton may also get some interest.

I thought Keith Carter would be the first one out the door, but Saleh said he thought Carter “did a really nice job” this season. I wish my boss had the low standards that Saleh seems to have…although having such low standards and accepting poor performance is what leads to missing the playoffs.

Saleh also confirmed that it was “very important” for the Jets to get another receiver to take the pressure off Garrett Wilson. Wilson was later asked about that, and he said that it would help everyone, not just him. I think this is a very public acceptance that the guy they thought would take the pressure off (Lazard) is not the answer.

The moving of AVT will come to an end next season. Saleh said they were determined to keep him in one spot. He did say that he had been studying the injuries on the offensive line to try and identify the cause. Maybe in all the data, there is something to suggest that moving players from one position to another increases the chance of injury.

I think we all accept that Zach Wilson will probably be playing somewhere else next season. Aaron Rodgers was asked about Zach being back with the Jets - "I love Zach and want what's best for Zach ... sometimes a change of scenery can be a breath of fresh air." - He’ll move on and I hope wherever he lands he does a fine job. We just need to try and get the maximum return possible.

Rodgers said he wants the Jets to solidify the offensive line and probably bring in some receiver help, but he likes where they are from a schematic point. Basically, that’s him defending Nathaniel Hackett.

Rodgers also said: "Anything in this building that we're doing that has nothing to do with winning needs to be assessed. Everything that we do has to have a purpose ... the bullshit that has nothing to do with winning has to get out of the building."

Garrett Wilson said the frustration will help mould him into the player he needs to be, but he also said "What happened this season can't happen again...It's got to be better. We've got to make adjustments in the game. We've got to do things to counter what we're getting and be able to put points on the board because honestly, in the two years I've been here, it's been tough. It's been tough going. Football hasn't been this hard as far as offence. I watch it on the sideline and it doesn't look that hard for the other team. "We've got to figure something out to get it rolling, no matter who's slinging it. I know Aaron will be an offence in itself because that's just what he brings to the table ... He's special, man. I pray that everyone in the world gets to see that next year. But, yeah, what happened this year can't happen again."We need to have a deep playoff run next season for many reasons, one is to convince these young stars to sign on past their rookie deal.

Tyler Conklin was asked how close he thought the Jets were to being a playoff team. His response: : "I do think really close, but I know everybody is also sick of hearing how close you are because at the end of the day you have to go out and do it. We haven't over the past few years."

Joe Douglas also met with the media, and here are the highlights. I don’t think any will surprise you:

• Douglas believed that we had a “good plan” in place in terms of the backup QB and while at the time they were comfortable, "Obviously things didn't work. Hindsight is always 20/20."

• He stated that the team not being able to overcome adversity was not OK, and he took responsibility for that…part of this is linked to the point above.

• When asked about Zach Wilson, Douglas said "We're going to do what's right for the team." - Meaning he’s going to shop him for the highest offer, at least that’s my read on it.

• On Lazard and his disappointing season: "I don't think Allen's story is over by a longshot. He's a top-tier competitor. Allen has a lot of pride. I expect him to come back raring to go."

• When asked about adding help for Garrett and Breece: "We want to have as many playmakers as we can on the team."

• He said he believed Dalvin Cook offered a good insurance policy for Breece and they believed they were getting a Pro Bowl back, it just didn’t work like that. Strangely, they were willing to get a $7 million insurance policy on RB, a position where replacement-level players are statistically easy to find. Yet they were reluctant to spend big on an insurance policy for QB, the most important position in football. A lot of different decisions sunk the Jets season, but that one may have been the biggest hole in the boat.

• He also stated that they want Bryce Huff back, but said he’s not the only free agent they want to re-sign.

• On taking Will McDonald in the draft over a wide receiver or offensive lineman - "That's a fair critique to say ... we want as much depth as we can. The arrow is still very high on Will McDonald. He's going to be a difference-maker in this league. We always want to be loaded with pass rushers. I understand that opinion. We're going to go into the offseason every year and pick the best player available."

• Douglas was pretty adamant in his belief in Robert Saleh. When asked why he believed Saleh was the right man considering he has one of the lowest W/L records in Jets history: "Robert is the right coach because he is the right man for the job."

• He then admitted that his own record simply wasn’t good enough.

Predicting what will happen in the NFL Draft is a fool’s errand, but I’m feeling a touch foolish so let’s have a quick look at how it could all play out.

With the regular season now in the books, the top of the draft is officially set. The Jets may have cost themselves a couple of draft slots with the win in New England, but they still maintain a top-10 selection.

#10 is not a bad spot to be picking, we only have to look back to 2022 to see the kind of player you can get at that spot. Garrett Wilson is arguably the most talented player on the Jets roster, and while Sauce, Quinnen and Breece can all stake a claim, Garrett has put up back-to-back 1000+ yard receiving seasons with a nightmare QB situation.

The Jets also picked Al Toon with the #10 pick back in 1985, so the receiver position has been kind at that spot. Russell Carter was the 10th pick for the Jets in 1984, which wasn’t quite as successful. We also picked Herb Adderley in the first round back in 1961, but he decided to sign with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers instead. Adderley was a 3x Super Bowl champ and Hall of Famer who finished with 48 career interceptions. So an incredible pick, but unfortunately the allure of the AFL wasn’t enough to tempt him to spurn the established NFL.

The Jets took QB Ken Hobart with the 10th pick of the supplemental draft in 1984, but he never played a down in the NFL. Instead, he played in the USFL and then moved to Canada when the USFL folded in 1985. He was not a very good QB.

Outside of the Jets, here are a few players who were taken 10th overall in recent drafts, just to give you an idea of the quality you can expect. Of course it all comes down to evaluation.

2023 - Darnell Wright - Chicago Bears
2022 - Garrett Wilson - New York Jets
2021 - DeVonta Smith - Philadelphia Eagles
2020 - Jedrick Wills - Cleveland Browns
2019 - Devin Bush - Pittsburgh Steelers
2018 - Josh Rosen - Arizona Cardinals
2017 - Patrick Mahomes - Kansas City Chiefs
2016 - Eli Apple - New York Giants
2015 - Todd Gurley - St Louis Rams
2014 - Eric Ebron - Detroit Lions
2013 - Chance Warmack - Tennessee Titans
2012 - Stephon Gilmore - Buffalo Bills
2011 - Blaine Gabbert - Jacksonville Jaguars
2010 - Tyson Alualu - Jacksonville Jaguars

A mixed bunch to say the least, but it gives you some sense of what’s happened at that position over the last decade or so.

How could the 2024 NFL draft shape up? Let’s take a look at the top nine and project who will be there for the Jets when they get on the clock. We’re going to have draft previews of all the players who could potentially be there at number 10 over the coming months.