NEW YORK — Talking about what you want to do is easy. Getting it done is another matter.
And all the Jets have done since the end of a 4-13 season is talk about wanting to surround Zach Wilson with more talent. It was the Jets’ New Year’s resolution.
And Wilson — who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft — must have been the happiest guy on the planet watching Gang Green’s draft unfold this weekend.
GM Joe Douglas proved that actions speak louder than words because unlike organizations that simply talk about creating a successful environment for their QB, the Jets went out and accomplished exactly what was needed during free agency and in the draft.
Every team talks about wanting to build around a young quarterback, because if the young QB succeeds everyone gets to keep their job. If not, well, many are fired and plenty of talented quarterbacks have had their careers ruined by poor organizations.
But it is clear this offseason that Douglas and the Jets are walking the walk, and not just talking the talk, because Wilson is being surrounded by a massive influx of talent.
“I feel like we’re a better team now than we were going into the weekend,” Douglas said. “I feel like we’re a better team now than we were to start the entire offseason. Again, a lot of that credit goes to Coach [Robert Saleh} and his staff and Rex [Hogan] and all of our personnel staff working together, just a real team effort to give us this chance to go into a season and improve in some different spots, adding quality depth to the team, adding some guys that we feel can be explosive, dynamic playmakers for us.”
It started in the first round when the Jets drafted star Ohio State wideout Garrett Wilson with the 10th overall pick on Thursday night. Then early in the second round on Friday they nabbed speedy Iowa State running back Breece Hall.
Garrett is an explosive weapon with 4.3 speed who finished with 70 catches for 1,058 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2021 for the Buckeyes.
“Wilson to Wilson” could be the defining phrase of the 2022 season.
Hall is another 4.3 weapon who rushed for 3,941 yards and 50 touchdowns in his college career.
Both Hall and Garrett were universally regarded as top 3 prospects at their position.
Gang Green also added Ohio State tight end Jeremy Ruckert in the third round. His production wasn’t outstanding, but he’s a talented tight end who can develop into a productive player.
So let’s do a quick overview of the pieces Zach Wilson has around him as the former BYU star heads into his second NFL campaign.
A talented receiving corps of Corey Davis, Elijah Moore, Braxton Berrios and Garrett Wilson.
A solid tight room that features free-agent pickups C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin and the rookie Ruckert. All three players can affect the game through the air and create running lanes with their blocking. That’s a massive upgrade over last year’s tight ends in Tyler Kroft and Ryan Griffin.
The main pieces of the running backs room are Michael Carter, Ty Johnson, Tevin Coleman and Hall.
There’s a thunder and lightning punch Carter and Hall can bring, as Carter can create havoc outside the tackles with his speed, while Hall can slice up the interior of the defense with his vision that helps him explode through holes.
And don’t forget, the Jets offensive line is a solid unit ... at least on paper.
A pair of bookend tackles in George Fant and Mekhi Becton, along with a solid center in Connor McGovern, flanked by guards Laken Tomlinson (a Pro Bowler last year) and Alijah Vera-Tucker (elite flashes as a rookie).
It’s not even close, this Jets offense is significantly improved from the one that ended the season in Buffalo.
Wilson ended his rookie season throwing for just five net passing yards in a 27-10 loss to the Bills in Week 18 because injuries forced him to go to battle with just Keelan Cole and Kroft to throw to. His offensive line that day featured backups Conor McDermott and Dan Feeney in starting roles.
Less than four months later, Zach Wilson has to be cheesing at all the offensive talent he’ll be working with heading into OTAs.
The Jets talked about making sure their QB had the tools necessary to succeed heading into Year 2. They’ve hit their goal. New Year’s resolution kept.
