5 worst draft decisions of Joe Douglas during Jets tenure feat. Zach Wilson in 2021 Draft
The New York Jets announced on Tuesday that General Manager Joe Douglas, whose contract was to end after the 2024 season, was fired with immediate effect. He was the key personnel behind all of New York's decisions since he was hired from the Philadelphia Eagles, midway through the 2019 offseason.
Although Douglas made some good decisions and drafted good players, the lack of playoff appearances and the current 3-7 record has undermined his role. Multiple sources stated that his job was essentially gone since Robert Saleh's firing, and key decisions were made by higher-ups in the organization.
Here's a closer look at five of the worst draft picks made by Douglas during his tenure as Jets GM:
5 worst draft decisions made by Joe Douglas
#1. Drafting Zach Wilson with the No. 2 overall pick in 2021
This is easily Douglas' worst mistake. In a draft class where five quarterbacks were taken in the first round, the Jets had no second thoughts about picking Wilson after Trevor Lawrence. With the No. 2 overall pick, there was little doubt that New York would go after a quarterback – the challenge was to pick the right one.
Three years later, Wilson is no longer a member of the franchise. The quarterback struggled badly in his three years with the team, sitting with a 12-21 record, just 57% of passes completed, 23 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. He was such a failure that the franchise traded multiple picks for 39-year-old Aaron Rodgers to fix the quarterback position.
#2. Drafting Mekhi Becton with the No. 11 overall pick in 2020
When Douglas arrived at the franchise, the 2019 NFL draft had already happened, and the first class he commanded was in 2020. He decided to anchor the offensive line with Becton, a mountain of an offensive lineman who played at Louisville.
Becton had flashes, but his availability was a huge problem, with just 30 games over four seasons, and the team did not re-sign him after the 2023 season. He found a new home with the Philadelphia Eagles, but was a clear mistake by the general manager. Especially with pro bowler Tristan Wirfs selected two picks later.
#3. Drafting Denzel Mims with a second-round pick in 2020
The same year, hoping to boost the offense for head coach Adam Gase, Douglas selected a tall wide receiver in Mims, with Sam Darnold still considered the future of the franchise.
Becton was the first pick that year and he was a failure, but Mims was also a problem. He had promising moments during his first season, with 357 yards in just eight games. But he never blossomed, scored zero touchdowns in his three years with the team and was traded to the Lions in 2023.
#4. Drafting Jabari Zuniga with a third-round pick in 2020
A third-round pick, yes. But Jabari Zuniga has a distinction to his name: he's a rare Day 2 pick not to last with the team after just one season. He did return and play a small number of snaps in 2021, but the fact that the Jets made him available after just one season shows how glaring the mistake was.
#5. Spending a second round on Elijah Moore
To cap some of his mistakes, Moore is another player whose high pick spend did not live up to the expectations. He had just two years with the franchise before getting traded to the Cleveland Browns, with 984 receiving yards and six touchdowns in two years.
The Browns sent a second-round pick to the Jets for Moore and a third, erasing a bit of Douglas' mistake, but it was still a bad pick.