FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The NFL draft board is wide open for Joe Douglas and the New York Jets. And they might end up facing quite the dilemma.
With the 10th overall pick, Douglas could go with another playmaker to help Aaron Rodgers get the Jets into the end zone consistently.
Or, the general manager could target another offensive lineman to make sure the 40-year-old quarterback stays upright after his debut with New York lasted just four plays last season because of a torn Achilles tendon.
“Well, I think this is an unbelievable O-line class,” Douglas said last month at the NFL meetings in Orlando, Florida. “It’s an unbelievable class at quite a few positions. But I think where we are at now, we have great flexibility to go in any direction that we see is best for us moving forward.
"I think it opens the door to a lot of possibilities at 10.”
That's due in large part to the shopping spree the Jets GM went on the past few months after New York finished 7-10 for the second straight year and extended its NFL-worst playoff drought to 13 years.
Douglas revamped the offensive line by acquiring offensive tackle Morgan Moses from Baltimore and signing two-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowl selection Tyron Smith, along with former Ravens guard John Simpson.
They're all expected to start, eliminating the desperate need to take an O-lineman at No. 10. But Smith is 33 and has played only 30 games in the past four seasons because of injuries. Moses is also 33 and was sidelined for three games last season with a torn pectoral muscle that needed surgery.
So, taking an offensive lineman such as Penn State’s Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Oregon State's Taliese Fuaga or Alabama's JC Latham with an eye on the future — and as insurance for the present — could be in play.
The Jets also signed former Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams in the offseason as a complement to Garrett Wilson, giving New York a red zone presence and vertical threat. But Williams is coming off a torn ACL that limited him to three games last season and could keep him sidelined for the start of training camp.
If Georgia tight end Brock Bowers is still available when the Jets go on the clock, it might be difficult to pass on a player considered by many to be the best at his position to enter the draft in several years.
“If there is a player that we feel helps the Jets, we have the flexibility to do that,” Douglas said. “So, we are thinking not only for this year, but for the future, too. But ultimately, we want to do what is best for the 2024 Jets, as well.”
A healthy Williams should give the Jets a terrific 1-2 punch at wide receiver with Wilson. But the depth at the position is a bit shaky after that with Allen Lazard, who struggled mightily in his first season in New York, and second-year receivers Xavier Gipson and Jason Brownlee the next best options. Injuries have caused a constant churning along the offensive line, so getting depth is key.
New York's defensive line should again be among the NFL's best, especially with the Jets acquiring edge rusher Haason Reddick from Philadelphia. The Jets are mostly set at cornerback with Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed and Michael Carter II as high-performing starters.
All eyes will be on the Jets if Bowers and a top offensive tackle are still around — if Douglas stays put at No. 10.
Taking an O-lineman would appear to be a “safe” pick. But Bowers' do-it-all abilities at tight end are tantalizing.
Only three tight ends have been taken in the top 10 in the past 10 years: Kyle Pitts (No. 4 by Atlanta, 2021), T.J. Hockenson (No. 8 by Detroit, 2019) and Eric Ebron (No. 10 by Detroit, 2014).
Quarterback Zach Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in 2021, was given permission by the Jets to seek a trade. It could happen during the draft.
But so far, there have been no takers. And the possible landing spots are dwindling.
Teams could be wary of the $5.45 million Wilson is guaranteed this season. It's unlikely the Jets, who signed Tyrod Taylor to be Rodgers' backup, will cut Wilson because they would take a dead money hit of about $11.2 million on the salary cap.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
FILE - New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers warms up before playing against the Buffalo Bills in an NFL football game, Sept. 11, 2023, in East Rutherford, N.J. On Tuesday, April 9, 2024, Aaron Rodgers acknowledged during a podcast interview this week he briefly thought his playing career could be over after he tore his left Achilles tendon in the New York Jets’ season opener. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)
Oregon State offensive lineman Taliese Fuaga runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine, Sunday, March 3, 2024, in Indianapolis. Fuaga is a possible first round pick in the NFL Draft. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
FILE - Georgia tight end Brock Bowers (19) carries the ball after a reception during the second half of an NCAA football game against Auburn, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, in Auburn, Ala. Bowers is a possible first round pick in the NFL Draft. (AP Photo/Butch Dill, File)
IMOLA, Italy (AP) — The 30th anniversary of three-time F1 champion Ayrton Senna’s death was commemorated Wednesday with a memorial on the Imola track where he crashed during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali was joined Wednesday by hundreds of fans, politicians from Brazil and Italy, plus a representative from Austria to also recall fellow Formula One driver Roland Ratzenberger, who died a day earlier during qualifying.
At 2:17 p.m. (1217 GMT), a minute of silence was held and flowers laid down at the Tamburello curve to observe the exact time and place that the 34-year-old Senna crashed into a concrete wall at about 300 kph (185 mph).
Then flowers were also laid down at the Villeneuve corner only slightly further down the track where the 33-year-old Ratzenberger crashed.
Senna, the Brazilian driver who won F1 titles in 1988, 1990 and 1991, was leading the race in Imola when he crashed.
Ratzenberger was an F1 rookie from Austria.
“They are part of sports history and history in general for what they represented,” Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said.
The attention around Senna’s death brought about safety improvements at the Imola track and throughout F1, resulting in shorter straights, more room around dangerous turns and less powerful engines.
AP Formula 1: https://apnews.com/hub/formula-one
A fan visits the burial site of late Brazilian Formula One driver Ayrton Senna on the 30th anniversary of his death, at Morumbi cemetery in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. The three-time F1 world champion died in a crash at the Imola race track in San Marino. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
A fan kneels at the burial site of late Brazilian Formula One driver Ayrton Senna as fans gather to mark the 30th anniversary of his death, at Morumbi cemetery in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. The three-time F1 world champion died in a crash at the Imola race track in San Marino. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Fans gather at the burial site of late Brazilian Formula One driver Ayrton Senna to mark the 30th anniversary of his death, at Morumbi cemetery in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. The three-time F1 world champion died in a crash at the Imola race track in San Marino. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
FILE - Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger sits unconcious in his Simtek Ford after he crashed during the qualifying session for the Marino F 1 Grand prix in Imola Saturday April 30, 1994. Ratzenberger died later. The 30th anniversary of three-time F1 champion Ayrton Senna’s death is being commemorated with a memorial on the Imola track where he crashed during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali is to be joined Wednesday, May 1, 2024, by politicians from Brazil and Italy, plus a representative from Austria to also recall fellow Formula One driver Roland Ratzenberger, who died a day earlier during qualifying. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - Prince Albert of Monaco, left, applauds Brazil's Ayrton Senna, center, winner of the Monaco formula One grand prix ahead of Prost, right, on the podium in Monaco Sunday, May 7, 1989. The 30th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death is commemorated with a memorial on the Imola track where he crashed during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. (AP Photo/Gilbert Tourte, File)
FILE - Pictures of late Brazilian race car driver Ayrton Senna hangs on the the corner where he was died, during the third practice session ahead of Sunday's Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack, in Imola, Italy, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. The 30th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death is commemorated on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, with a memorial on the Imola track where he crashed during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. (Jennifer Lorenzini, Pool via AP, File)
FILE - Italy's Nicola Larini, left, holds his head and Germany's Michael Schumacher, right, wipes a tear from his eyes while talking with Benetton director-general Flavio Briatore, center, on the podium following the San Marino Formula One Grand Prix crash in Imola, Italy, May 1, 1994. The drivers were reacting to the news that the Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna was in critical condition at a Bologna hospital after a crash in the race. Later it was announced that Senna had died after suffering severe head injuries. (AP-Photo/Claudio Luffoli, File)
FILE- In this TV image, rescue crew members give first aid to unconscious formula one driver Ayrton Senna, lying mortally injured, beside his wrecked car after the Brazillian driver crashed against the course wall during the Grand Prix of San Marino, in this file photo dated Sunday May 1, 1994, in Imola, Italy. The 30th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death is commemorated on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, with a memorial on the Imola track where he crashed during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. (AP Photo/File)
FILE- Race officials run toward Brazil's Aytron Senna after he crashed with his Williams-Renault during the San Marino F-1 Grand Prix in Imola Sunday May 1, 1994. The 30th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death is commemorated on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, with a memorial on the Imola track where he crashed during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. (AP Photo/File)
FILE - A scarf has been placed on a statue of Brazilian race car driver Ayrton Senna ahead of Sunday's Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, at the Dino and Enzo Ferrari racetrack, in Imola, Italy, Friday, Oct. 30, 2020. The 30th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death is commemorated on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, with a memorial on the Imola track where he crashed during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)
