How the Aaron Rodgers trade alters the NY Jets draft plans

Later Rounds

In the later rounds, the Jets should focus on skill players or special teams standouts. The most important thing in the later rounds is to target players that can immediately make a difference on a win-now team.

Overall, this has to be the approach to the entire draft. Now that Rodgers has been acquired, the Jets are fully in a championship window and have become a win-now team. Adding players that can come in and start, thereby making the 2023 Jets better, is the most important aspect of this draft.

They can no longer draft backups or developmental projects. They cannot waste their picks on the "best player available" mindset and select players at non-premium positions or positions of need.

In many ways, this means Joe Douglas' previous draft plans become outdated. He needs to find ways to add players of significance at positions of need.

The good news is that a player like Rodgers covers up a lot of weaknesses on a roster. Assuming good health, the Jets could have been an 11-win team last year, and that's pretty comfortably an 11-win team.

Nailing this draft by adding two additional players at picks 15 and 43 that can contribute to winning this year is important. Let's see if Douglas, Robert Saleh, and the rest of the front office are up to the task.