NY Jets news: Jets wanted to draft Jahmyr Gibbs, another veteran OL signed

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Jahmyr Gibbs / Justin Ford/GettyImages

The NY Jets' decision to select Will McDonald with the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft caught many by surprise, but that pick pales in comparison to the selection they actually wanted to make.

Numerous reports have insisted that the Jets planned to select Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs with the No. 15 overall pick in this year's draft. Gibbs was surprisingly selected by the Detroit Lions three picks earlier in perhaps the most shocking selection of Day 1.

The Athletic's Dane Brugler, NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah, and Walter Football's Charlie Campbell have all come out and said the Jets were eyeing Gibbs in the first round and planned to take him.

The Lions' own general manager, Brad Holmes, even told reporters after the draft that he was under the impression that Gibbs "would've been gone by 15." Despite the presence of Breece Hall, the Jets seemingly had no reservations about selecting a running back in the first round.

Other NY Jets news

Jets sign veteran OL Billy Turner

The Jets made another strong depth addition to their offensive line on Monday, signing nine-year NFL veteran Billy Turner to a one-year contract worth a maximum of $3.5 million.

Turner has spent the last four years working under Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, first in Green Bay before he followed his coach to Denver. He also comes with ample starting experience.

Turner has 75 career starts under his belt, including 61 starts over the last five seasons. He's played every offensive line position aside from center in the NFL, with the majority of his experience coming at right tackle and right guard.

The Jets are suddenly overloaded with offensive line depth and, provided everyone is healthy, will be forced to cut quite a few good depth pieces. Turner is quality depth who offers starting experience and versatility.

Jets receive mixed draft grades

Draft grades are mostly a pointless exercise, but it can be fun to see how analysts rate your favorite team's draft class in the days following the event. In the case of the Jets, they've received mixed reviews.

Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News ranked the Jets dead last among all 32 NFL teams with a woeful 'D' grade. Iyer was critical of essentially every pick, although he seemed to like the Joe Tippmann selection.

Meanwhile, Evan Silva of EstablishTheRun.com handed the Jets a spectacular 'A' grade, citing quite a few potential late-round steals as one of the reasons why.

The majority of Jets draft grades seem to fall between a C+ and a B with the team's Day 2 and 3 selections carrying those grades. Only time will tell who's actually right about their initial analysis.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.