Joe Douglas: Jets Laying 'Groundwork' to Trade Up in First Round

New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas is already having the conversations that lead to trading up from the No. 23 pick in the first round of the NFL draft

Addressing the media one more time before next week's NFL draft, Jets general manager Joe Douglas was asked on Thursday about the conversations that inevitably lead to draft-night trades.

Is there a chance New York could make a move with the No. 23 pick, moving up in the first round?

Douglas said that those conversations have already begun.

"We start making the calls—or receiving the calls—to other teams, start greasing the skids, maybe there's interest in moving up or moving back. So there's the groundwork that goes into these trades that happen before the draft," Douglas said. 

The Jets will have plenty of valuable assets available with the No. 23 overall pick, but with all the draft capital this team has, they're more than capable of presenting an appealing offer to another team eager to drop back in the first round.

Those deals are often finalized during the first round of the draft, Douglas explained.

"Once you're in the draft, you're all together, a lot of it depends on who's left on the board," he said. "Most of it's going to depend on who's left, and if you're comfortable giving up what it takes to move up, or are you comfortable moving back and feel like you can get the player that you're still excited about."

Assistant general manager Rex Hogan also stopped by in the Jets Zoom room on Thursday, agreeing that the surplus of picks at New York's disposal puts them in the driver's seat when it comes to making a trade.

"Not trying to tip our hands obviously, but we put ourselves in a position for flexibility with the number of picks that we have this year and next year as well," Hogan told reporters. "Depending on the options we have, when we're on the clock or moving forward throughout the draft, we've given ourselves that freedom to move."

Plenty of factors would play a role in the Jets trading up from the 23rd pick (or trading back for that matter as well). New York would benefit from adding a top cornerback or offensive lineman considering they chose not to address those positions in free agency. 

Then again, with all their internal evaluations over the last several months, there could be a player or two—regardless of their position—that the Jets have their eye on. For the right prospect, who knows what this team would be willing to give up to put themselves in the position to get their guy.

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. He also covers the New York Yankees, publisher  of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Yankees site, Inside The Pinstripes. Before starting out with SI, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. While at school, Goodman gathered valuable experience as an anchor and reporter on NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. Goodman previously interned at MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman and connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.