Jets general manager Joe Douglas was stunned when he saw defensive end Jermaine Johnson II falling in the first round of the NFL draft last Thursday and he pounced on the opportunity to land one of his team’s top-rated players.
After trading back into the first round, the Jets drafted Johnson, the Florida State defensive end, at No. 26 overall.
“Pick 4 and 10 fell perfect and then Jermaine was like that Christmas present that is like not in the house,” Douglas said during an interview on the “Gang’s All Here,” The Post’s Jets podcast. “That special four-wheeler or something that your dad bought for you and it’s out in the driveway. That’s the extra one that you had no idea was coming. It was a very cool Thursday night.”
Douglas has gotten a lot of praise for his draft, in which he landed three first-round picks after trading up to get Johnson. He drafted cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner with the fourth overall pick and took wide receiver Garrett Wilson 10th overall. After taking Wilson, Douglas did not think the Jets would also land Johnson.
“Those three D ends went really early, right?” Douglas said of Travon Walker, Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux. “So, you’re expecting Jermaine to go either before we pick at 10 or shortly thereafter. So, we’re celebrating after Garrett and everybody is high-fiving, hugging. Then, we get to a point probably around 13, 14, you kind of lose track of what’s happening for a few minutes and then [head coach] Robert [Saleh] hits me on the shoulder, ‘Hey man, let’s go get Jermaine. He’s still available. He’s still out there.’
“Then, the calls started right around 15. We’re working the phone lines. There’s a lot of emotions because with every ‘no,’ you hang up the phone and are like, ‘this is where he goes.’ That happened quite a few times. Ultimately, we were able to get it done with Tennessee and get Jermaine here.”
Douglas has built up the roster this offseason to help second-year quarterback Zach Wilson and said he believes the Jets have given Wilson a strong supporting cast.
“I’m absolutely encouraged, absolutely feel great about where Zach is in his Year 2 progression,” Douglas said. “I feel good that he shouldn’t be in the position as a first- or second-year quarterback that he feels like he has to carry the team. I think with the pieces we’ve added around him, the offensive line in front of him, adding some help at tight end, adding pieces at wide receiver, adding pieces to the backfield, really building good depth around him.
“Hey, you just have to play like you did at the end of last year. Just execute the offense, play within yourself. It’s our job to put good people around you and they have to do their job.”