Getty Three key NFL studs are playing a major role in the 2022 New York Jets draft position.
Sometimes in life, it isn’t about being right, it’s about being lucky.
In 2019, the New York Jets decided to trade away arguably their best player in safety Jamal Adams right before training camp in a blockbuster deal to the Seattle Seahawks.
They received a pair of future first-rounders, in 2021 and 2022 respectively, and a third-rounder in 2021.
In any world that is a fantastic haul, especially when you consider the devalued position of the safety position as it correlates to success in the NFL.
Although not even the Jets could have known at the time how good this deal really was.
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A Juicy Slice of Irony
When the Jets agreed to the deal to send Adams to Seattle, the Seahawks hadn’t had a losing season since 2011.
Despite knowing that those first-rounders would likely be later picks, Gang Green couldn’t pass on the value.
The former Jets first-rounder had enough of the losing and wanted to get traded to a contender. After a spectacular first season in the pacific northwest where he broke the single-season sack record for a defensive back (9.5 sacks), he hasn’t found as much success in 2021.
Jamal Adams controller got unplugged
Not only is Adams struggling but the entire team is. Russell Wilson, a player that had never missed a start in his career, for the first time ever on a fluke play suffered a significant finger injury and was forced to miss three contests.
The Jets got very lucky that one of the true ironmen of the sport got injured. Now they’re enjoying the irony of trading away a player who wanted to go to a contender, but now his own team has the same record as the green and white through 11 weeks. Go figure.
Both teams sit at 3-8 and thanks to a strength of schedule tiebreaker, the Seahawks’ first-rounder is now actually better than the Jets.
Thank you Jamal Adams… #Jets
Who would’ve thought that fun fact would even be possible yet, it is true.
If the 2022 NFL draft was today, the Jets would own both the No. 4 and No. 5 overall picks. This would be the first time in franchise history that the green and white own two picks in the top-10, let alone the top-five.
Things Continue to Get Better and Better
Not only are the Jets set up quite well in the first round, but the second round could be equally brilliant.
Gang Green of course owns their original second-round pick, but they also possess the Carolina Panthers’ selection thanks to the Sam Darnold trade this offseason.
That was another case of tremendous value for Douglas, but there was a ton of optimism for Carolina this offseason so the second-rounder wasn’t expected to be very high.
Yet once again a stroke of luck has helped out the Jets.
The face of the Carolina franchise has been running back Christian McCaffrey and over the first three years of his career, he had never missed a practice, let alone a game.
Then over the last two years, since signing his extension, the talented playmaker has missed and will miss 23 of 32 games. Over the weekend the Panthers placed McCaffrey on injured reserve ending his 2021 season.
The first year of injuries everyone called a fluke, then the injury bug bit the 25-year old once again. You never want to root for a player to get hurt, but this is great news for the green and white.
If the draft started today not only would the Jets have a pair of top-five picks, they would also add two more picks in the top 41.
Everyone is talking about the #Jets having 2 top-5 picks in the 2022 #NFLDraft (would be first time that has happened in team history), but what has me drooling is that 2nd round w/ their own (No. 36) + #KeepPounding (No. 41) & Christian McCaffrey is out for the season 🤤🤤🤤
You are expected as a general manager to hit on your picks in the first round, but what separates the good ones from the great ones is hitting in the other rounds.
The pair of high second-rounders is a golden opportunity to add two proven starters at other key positions of need.
Douglas has a chance to have a historic draft haul in 2022. Having all of these picks is great, but the key is actually hitting on them and we’ll have to see what they become, but this foundation of picks puts the Jets in a really good spot this offseason.
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