Joe Douglas' first two days of his first draft as an NFL GM went just about as well as possible.
Douglas grabbed tackle Mekhi Becton in the first round, then traded back and picked up receiver Denzel Mims in the second round. He followed those moves up by adding safety Ashtyn Davis and edge rusher Jabari Zuniga in round three.
But on Day Three, Douglas may have landed the most intriguing of his draft packs, selecting Virginia cornerback Bryce Hall with the 158th pick.
The 6-foot-1 202-pound corner arguably could have been a second-round pick, if not even higher, based on his pure talent. But a nasty ankle injury in October held him to just six games during his senior season, and may have scared some teams away from spending a high pick on his services.
But now, Hall says he's fully healthy, and the Jets are excited to have him in their secondary.
"My ankle is healed," Hall said on a video conference call with reporters. "It's about getting back the same range of motion. I'm getting better and stronger every week.
"At the end of the day, I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be."
Last October, Hall broke his fibula and tore his deltoid ligament.
"So basically, I dislocated my ankle, and I broke those bones, and tore that ligament," Hall told WVIR earlier this week.
"I had to really progress slowly. I think once I started running and cutting, then it just becomes more about getting used to the feeling, and getting used to moving again, and then everything else comes with that."
Hall told reporters Saturday that falling to the fifth round will simply motivate him to work "10 times harder."
Hall didn't partake in many drills at the NFL Combine as he continues to heal. But his college resume speaks for itself. After starting right away as a true freshman with the Cavaliers, it was Hall's sophomore season that really put him on the map with NFL teams, as he led FBS football with 22 pass breakups, earning first-team All-ACC honors. He then started 13 games as a junior, recording two interceptions, two sacks, and two forced fumbles.
There's no question that the Jets needed to add some cornerback depth, as Trumaine Johnson and Darryl Roberts are no longer on the roster, leaving the Jets with new addition Pierre Desir and likely Bless Austin on the outside, with Brian Poole in the slot.
If healthy, perhaps Hall could be that exact piece they've been looking for, and could be another great pick by Douglas in his first draft as Gang Green's GM.