Jets use back of draft to shore up their defense

Joe Douglas did not sway from his big draft board. The Jets’ general manager took some potential game-changers and impact players on offense before addressing the defense, having done more work on that side of the ball in free agency.

But Douglas added depth, versatility and athleticism to Robert Saleh’s defense in the second half of the draft. Now it’s about developing them and putting them in position to succeed, which is a strength of Saleh’s.

"I do feel like we improved ourselves throughout the offseason," Douglas said. "And the offseason is not over until training camp starts. If there’s more opportunities that present itself to improve this team, improve this roster, we’re going to take it."

After a 2-14 season, the only place the Jets can go is up.

The Jets’ big headline-grabbing draft moves, of course, were taking quarterback Zach Wilson and guard Alijah Vera-Tucker in the first round, receiver Elijah Moore in the second and running back Michael Carter in the fourth. From there, it was all defense, with an emphasis on linebacker and cornerback.

These were two areas the Jets need to shore up.

The Jets made big improvements to the defensive line in free agency with edge rusher Carl Lawson, tackle Sheldon Rankins and end Vinny Curry. It’s an impressive front that also features returnees Quinnen Williams, John Franklin-Meyers and Foley Fatukasi.

Under Saleh, the former defensive coordinator of the 49ers, the Jets are switching to a 4-3 defense. Their front four will create "chaos," Saleh said. They need their linebackers to be quick, hit hard and play in coverage.

The Jets already have C.J. Mosley (whose future with the team remains a little murky), signed Jarrad Davis and will have Blake Cashman back. They definitely needed more depth there.

They drafted Auburn’s Jamien Sherwood in the fifth round and Florida State’s Hamsah Nasirildeen in the sixth. Nasirildeen led FSU in tackles as a sophomore and junior before tearing his ACL. Both were among the hardest-hitting safeties in college, although they often lined up at linebacker on third down. Saleh sees them as linebackers in his system.

"Those are two very long, fast, versatile athletes that kind of fit the mold of what we ask out of our linebackers — they run and hit and have speed and coverage ability," Saleh said. "What you can see out of those guys is their ability to read, diagnose, run and hit, play coverage, understand route concepts that are in front of them. We feel like they’ll be able to translate to linebacker pretty easily."

It was surprising that the Jets weren’t more aggressive nabbing a cornerback in free agency or early in the draft. They have a very young group led by third-year player Bless Austin and Bryce Hall, a fifth-round pick last year.

The Jets drafted Duke cornerback Michael Carter II and Pittsburgh’s Jason Pinnock in the fifth round and Kentucky’s Brandin Echols in the sixth.

Saleh projects Carter II as a safety/nickel corner. Pinnock (6 feet, 205) has good size and had three interceptions last year, but he didn’t become a full-time starter until his senior year. Echols started playing cornerback as a freshman in junior college but ended up being a two-year starter for Kentucky and had 11 pass breakups. The Jets like his potential.

"I just love the competition that we brought in," Saleh said. "They all bring a different style. They’re going to get every single opportunity to compete and make an impact on this football team. Any time you bring in competition, I’m going to feel good about it. We’re going to feel good about it. That’s the biggest thing we’ve done."