Ranking the 10 best draft picks of Joe Douglas' tenure with the NY Jets

General manager Joe Douglas wasn’t given the reins to the NY Jets until shortly after the 2019 NFL Draft, but in his 2.5 years with the team, he has begun building from scratch, and the pieces are starting to come together.

Heading into his third draft as general manager of the Jets, Douglas now has a lot to prove, and after a below-average draft and a promising one, he should have this team on track to play meaningful games in December of this season.

While not all of his picks have hit, Douglas has done well in the draft, finding plenty of long-term starters for this team. Here are his 10 best as general manager of the New York Jets.

1. Alijah Vera-Tucker, OG, NY Jets

Douglas came into the 2021 NFL Draft looking to bolster the offensive line, and after giving up two picks in the third round to move up in Round 1, they got their guard of the future in USC’s Alijah Vera-Tucker.

Many on draft night claimed the Jets gave up too much for the No. 1 ranked guard on the board, but after a slow start, those criticisms were slowly put to bed. Vera-Tucker put together an elite rookie season at left guard.

In 2022, he will be moved over to right guard to accommodate Pro Bowl guard Laken Tomlinson, but with another full preseason under his belt, there’s no limit to what AVT can accomplish with this team.