NY Jets: 3 players whose stock is on the rise after the 2020 NFL Draft

The NY Jets seem to have improved their roster in the 2020 NFL Draft. And these three players should be feeling good about their roles following the draft.

NY Jets general manager Joe Douglas took on a very different approach to the NFL Draft than we’ve seen in years. For the first time in a while, it appears as though the Jets finally have a competent executive running the show.

Now, whether his first draft class as general manager of the Jets ultimately pans out remains to be seen. But at least for not, the leaguewide perception of the organization seems to have changed for the better.

Draft classes generally provide an immediate impact on the state of the roster. While some positions are heavily addressed, others are wholly ignored leaving fans wondering what the plan is.

Similarly, some players could be negatively affected by the increase in competition at a certain spot. Meanwhile, some players are seemingly given a vote of confidence by the front office.

Plenty of players could see their stock with the organization go down following the conclusion of the draft, but what about those who experience the opposite effect?

For one reason or another, these three players should be feeling pretty confident about their status with the team following the draft.

Let’s take a look at who those three players are.

Next: 3. Josh Doctson

3. Josh Doctson, WR

Despite one of the deepest wide receiver classes in recent history, the Jets surprisingly opted to draft only one receiver, second-round pick Denzel Mims.

Mims will be counted on to fill a sizable role early on, but so too will the countless other depth receivers on the roster. One of those players could be Josh Doctson.

Rather than rely on the draft to reshape their wide receiver corps, the Jets instead used their draft picks elsewhere. As a result, every receiver on the roster will have a golden opportunity to earn a role on the offense.

And perhaps none present more upside than Doctson.

A former first-round pick, Doctson has seen his career hampered by injuries and inconsistencies never living up to the potential he once showed coming out of TCU. He was limited to just two games in his rookie campaign and was never able to recover.

Doctson started two underwhelming seasons with the Washington Redskins after that before being released prior to the expiration of his rookie contract. A brief stint in Minnesota did him no good last year and this might be his last chance to salvage his NFL career.

And there will be no better place than on the receiver-needy Jets.

Doctson will have to earn a roster spot this preseason and he will have a better chance at doing so seeing as the team only drafted one receiver.

Of course, players like Vyncint Smith, Braxton Berrios, and undrafted receivers Lawrence Cager and George Campbell present a threat. But not as much of a threat as say a third or fourth-round pick would have.

Doctson has a golden opportunity to save his career and much of that is due to the results of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Next: 2. Jamal Adams

2. Jamal Adams, S

This one is a more indirect result, but it still remains true. Jamal Adams‘ status with the Jets seems more secure than it has in a while coming out of the draft.

The Jets surprised many by selecting Cal safety Ashtyn Davis in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. And while some speculated that this could be a possible replacement for the All-Pro safety, a deeper analysis indicated quite the opposite.

Davis was drafted to be a hybrid defensive back/special-teamer in his rookie season, but you don’t draft a player in the third round with the idea that he will be a reserve for his entire career.

The Jets view Davis as a starting player — and the most likely spot he will start at is free safety.

Marcus Maye‘s contract is up after the 2020 season and with the Jets already expecting to pay Adams huge money, it’s unlikely they’ll be willing to pay both. Thus, Davis seems like a cheaper replacement for Maye at free safety.

And if the Jets are preparing to let Maye walk, that would seem to indicate that they plan on paying Adams. Obviously, that’s reportedly been the plan for a while now, but this appears to be tangible proof of such a plan.

Some jumped to conclusions about the Davis selection, but in reality, this is evidence that Adams has a long-term future in New York.

And that honestly should have never been debated in the first place.

Next: 1. Breshad Perriman

1. Breshad Perriman

Much like Doctson, free-agent pickup Breshad Perriman is set to benefit from the lack of attention given to the wide receiver position — but for a different reason.

While Doctson will be competing for a roster spot, Perriman seems locked into one of the two starting outside receiver spots. For the first time in his career, Perriman is set to be relied upon as a true starter and featured weapon in an offense.

And after how the first three years of his NFL career developed, few saw that as a realistic possibility.

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Perriman was once an injury-riddled, disappointment of a first-round pick — castoff by his initial franchise after just two seasons in the league. Now on his fourth NFL team in five years, the UCF product is set to receive the biggest opportunity of his career.

Starting alongside developmental rookie Denzel Mims on the outside, Perriman will not only be the Jets’ most experienced outside receiver, but he will also be the pseudo-replacement for their leading receiver in two of the last three seasons, Robby Anderson.

Perriman will be trusted with filling Anderson’s role after the former undrafted free agent departed in free agency. And given how Anderson flourished at points in Adam Gase’s system, perhaps the same could happen with Perriman.

For as much well-deserved flack as Gase receives, Anderson did manage to develop into a more complete receiver last season under his coach’s guidance. How much of that was actually Gase’s doing is unknown.

But maybe Perriman could take a similar leap in his first year with the Jets.

Either way, he’s set to see the highest share of targets in his career — and that alone makes him a major winner coming out of the draft.