Jets rookie left tackle Mekhi Becton becoming a big part of Joe Douglas' foundation

The roster that Jets general manager Joe Douglas helped assemble hasn’t been good enough to win a game this season. But one move that he made certainly looks as if it will help the Jets for years to come.

Rookie left tackle Mekhi Becton has dominated his matchup opponent most games. He’s often seen and shown tossing defensive players aside or knocking them down. It happens so often that you wonder why Adam Gase doesn’t have his running backs run behind Becton more.

Douglas selected Becton with the No. 11 pick in the draft. The 6-7, 370-pound behemoth out of Louisville has been everything that Douglas hoped for, and he believes Becton isn’t close to reaching his ceiling.

"Everyone is excited about Mekhi," Douglas said. "He is a player that’s going to help us long term. We’re excited about working with him every day. You talk about a young man that loves football. He’s very smart, he’s tough as nails and has rare, rare size and athleticism and still just scratching the surface of what he can do physically.

"There’s a lot of desire from him to want to be the best player that he can be. So we’ve made it our mission to bend over backwards to try help him reach his goals."

Becton was the highlight of Douglas’ first draft as an NFL general manager. The jury is still out on whether it was a good class, but first impressions are it was better than many if not all of Douglas’ predecessor Mike Maccagnan’s.

Punter Braden Mann has had an impressive year. Running back La’Mical Perine is getting more of an opportunity now, wide receiver Denzel Mims is finally healthy and playing, and safety Ashtyn Davis’ snap counts should continue to rise. The same goes for defensive end Jabari Zuniga, who played nine snaps in his NFL debut last week.

Cornerback Bryce Hall, offensive lineman Cameron Clark and quarterback James Morgan have yet to be active.

But as this lost season continues, the younger players, and particularly the rookies are expected to see more action. Player development was a big emphasis under Douglas but even more so now that the Jets are 0-8 and going to miss the playoffs for the 10th consecutive year.

"To build the team and the culture that we need and we want, the focus of this organization is going to remain on player development," Douglas said. "Ultimately for us to get to where we need to be, we have to continue to develop and invest in our players moving forward."

That’s a start, but the Jets have so many gaping holes that they need to fill. It’s part of the reason Douglas signed a six-year deal in 2019. He knew this would not be an overnight fix nor did he believe they were a player or two away.

This season showed that, which is why Douglas made some of the trades — to secure as many draft picks as possible.

Douglas traded Jamal Adams in the summer, and Steve McLendon, Jordan Willis and Avery Williamson over the last few weeks. Those deals brought the Jets a total of six picks in the next two drafts, including two first-rounders.

The Jets have 18 picks in the next two drafts; nine of them are in the first three rounds. If Douglas drafts right, as he did with Becton, he could start piecing this team together. Douglas also has the flexibility to make trades for veterans who can step in and help.

"The teams that have long-term success — they draft well and they develop their players," Douglas said. "That’s the model moving forward. That’s our vision moving forward. We have the opportunity to strike in free agency, having that flexibility. But none of this is going to work if we don’t draft and develop these guys, especially with the assets we have."