After addressing the offensive line in the first round with massive offensive tackle Mekhi Becton, Joe Douglas and the Jets elected to trade back in the second round and ended up taking Baylor wide receiver Denzel Mims with the 59th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Listed at 6-foot-3, 207 pounds, Mims ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. During his final season with the Bears, Mims caught 66 passes for 1,020 yards and 12 touchdowns. He averaged 15.5 yards per catch.
By adding Mims, the Jets give quarterback Sam Darnold a new weapon that he needed, especially after Robby Anderson left to join Matt Rhule in Carolina.
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If Joe Douglas ends up as the NFL Executive of the Year in 2020, remember it all started right here.
The Jets general manager pulled off a brilliant move in the second round of his first draft with the team. He passed on a chance to take big Baylor receiver Mimis with the 48th overall pick in the draft, traded down 11 spots, and still got Mims anyway at 59. So he got the receiver he needed for the Adam Gase offense, and he got an extra third-round pick.
That's about as good a draft-day maneuver as the Jets have experienced in years. The fact that Douglas made a trade was hardly a surprise, considering he came from two organizations - the Ravens and Eagles - that have never shied away from draft-day deals. Also, given the amount of holes on the roster he inherited, it was clear he was hoping to accumulate more picks.
But it was quite a risk when he sent that 48th pick to the Seattle Seahawks for the 59th pick and the 101st overall pick near the end of the third round. It was clear the Jets needed a receiver and there were a bunch of good ones sitting at 48. And even if they wanted to pivot to corner, there were a few good ones there, too.
The Seahawks used the 48th pick on Tennessee edge rusher Darrell Taylor, but then one pick later another receiver came off the board - Notre Dame's Chase Claypool. And the next two picks were two good corners -- Alabama's Trevon Diggs and Utah's Jaylon Johnson. So the Jets had to sweat to get their man.
And quarterback Darnold is going to be thrilled with is new weapon. Mims is a 6-3, 207-pounder who ran a 4.38 in the 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine. He's got the size and power to bully his way to extra yardage, especially when he gets around the end zone. And he's got the speed to be a breakaway threat, too.
Some scouts think he's a little raw and he had some issues with drops at college. But he was still good enough that quite a few NFL talent evaluators thought he might go late in the first round.
He didn't, and that turned out to be good news for the Jets. It's even better news that their general manager made a risky move that paid off, giving fans something to be happy about on draft day for a change.