Ranking New York Jets Worst Draft Picks During Joe Douglas Era

There were some ugly misses in the NFL draft by the New York Jets with Joe Douglas leading the front office.

Jets coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas look on during practice at the New York Jets Training Camp in Florham Park, N.J. on July 30, 2022. / Chris Pedota / USA TODAY NETWORK

The New York Jets are officially going to be on the lookout for a new general manager and a head coach this offseason.

After firing Robert Saleh following their Week 5 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, it was Joe Douglas who received his walking papers following the team’s Week 11 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Hired by the franchise in 2019, he did make strides in improving the talent on the roster. Some stars were selected in the draft, including Quinnen Williams, who was his first selection as general manager.

Alas, part of the reason the Jets were unable to truly ascend and snap their playoff drought with him running the front office was because of whiffs later on in the draft. The backbone of teams are the middle to late-round picks and they missed on too many.

What were the biggest blunders? Here are the five worst draft picks during the Douglas era.

Bonus: Jachai Polite

There were some major character concerns with the Florida Gators product heading into the 2019 NFL draft. He was a talented edge rusher, with the potential to be selected in the first round.

But, it takes more than talent to get picked high. Teams need to know that they can rely on you and Polite never gave that impression. Despite the red flags, the Jets selected him in the third round, hoping to get a steal.

He last appeared in an NFL game in 2020, as this was a miss by the regime. Douglas didn't select him, as he was hired after the 2019 draft. But, releasing a player who was picked in the third round just a few months after being selected deserves a spot on the "worst draft picks list".

4. Israel Abanikanda

This miss was self-inflicted. After selecting the speedy running back in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the team decided to select two more in the 2024 NFL draft and add veteran Tarik Cohen in free agency.

Cohen retired before the regular season started, but Abanikanda has been buried on the roster all year. A fifth-round pick not playing a single snap in his second season in the league is far from ideal.

Carving out a role in New York seems incredibly unlikely with Breece Hall, Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis all ahead of him on the pecking order. The Pittsburgh Panthers product would be better off with a change of scenery.

3. Denzel Mims

Desperate to add some playmakers to their offense, New York selected the Baylor Bears product with the No. 59 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

A gifted athlete with remarkable athleticism, Mims was far from a finished product when it came to the other details of being a good wide receiver. At least the Jets didn’t pass on Justin Jefferson to select Jalen Reagor as the Philadelphia Eagles did.

Several more productive wide receivers were selected after Mims, such as Gabe Davis, Darnell Mooney, K.J. Osborn, Quez Watkins, Jajuan Jennings, Isaiah Hodgins and Donovan Peoples-Jones. But, all were selected in the fourth round or later.

2. Mekhi Becton

One of the goals that Douglas had when he took over the New York front office was improving the offensive line. If the offense wanted to get on track, they needed better production in the trenches.

Looking to hit a home run with his first selection as general manager, he selected Mekhi Becton, a tackle for the Louisville Cardinals. A mountain of a human, it looked like the right selection out of the gate. But, his tenure with the franchise would be marred by injuries, which led to ineffective play as he never got back to the level he showed as a rookie.

What makes this selection hurt even more is two picks later, All-Pro Tristan Wirfs was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There is no guarantee he would have reached that level with New York, but just knowing he was on the board and seeing how good he has become stings.

The 2020 NFL Draft was a true disaster for New York. Only four out of the nine players have appeared in a game in 2024 and two of them have zero NFL appearances.

1. Zach Wilson

Rarely does a general manager inherit a quarterback and get to keep the job where he can select another when things don’t pan out. When Sam Darnold fizzled, Douglas was afforded the chance to bring his own guy in.

With the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, he selected Wilson out of BYU. The results were disastrous, as he never looked like a starting-caliber player during his tenure with New York.

The only positive for Douglas is that none of the quarterbacks selected after Wilson have turned into bonafide stars either. He just wasn’t lucky enough to land Brock Purdy in the seventh round the following year as the San Francisco 49ers did following the selection of Trey Lance with the No. 3 pick right after Wilson.

The inability of the franchise to develop Wilson has put them on the path they are currently on with Aaron Rodgers, as they are going nowhere fast.