After drafting Zach Wilson with his first pick of the night, Jets general manager Joe Douglas made a big move to land him some protection.

Douglas traded up from No. 23 to No. 14 to get USC guard Alijah Vera-Tucker. The Jets sent their first-round pick (23) and two third-round picks (66, 86) to the Vikings in exchange for the 14th pick and a fourth-rounder (No. 143).

Vera-Tucker said he had a lot of interaction with the Jets during the predraft process.

“I liked their vibe,” he said. “I liked what they’re doing there, how they’re trying to change things up. I got a good feeling from them. They traded up to get me, so I’m excited.”

Guard was a huge need for the Jets entering this offseason, and now Douglas has filled it. Vera-Tucker was considered the No. 1 guard in this draft. He played left tackle last season at USC, but is considered a guard, where he played in 2019, in the NFL. He is known as a powerful blocker who has strength and good feet.

Douglas said the Jets had Vera-Tucker ranked as one of their 10 best players in the draft. That is why they pounced.

“I think where we were sitting at 23, we felt like we had a unique opportunity to get a top-10 player in our minds as our board was stacked,” Douglas said. “To go up and get a guy like Alijah Vera-Tucker, a player that has started at tackle, has started at guard and has been highly productive at both. That versatility and that production is something we really value.”

The 6-foot-4, 318-pounder won the Morris Trophy last year as the top offensive lineman in the Pac-12 as voted on by the conference’s defensive linemen.

The selection of Vera-Tucker could lead to the release of Alex Lewis, whose cap number is $6.8 million this season. The Jets had major issues on the interior of their offensive line last year and considered pursuing top free agent Joe Thuney. Once the Chiefs gave Thuney $16 million a year, the Jets turned their eyes toward the draft to fill the hole at guard.

Douglas has shown he values the offensive line, using a first-round pick on an offensive lineman for the second-straight season. He drafted left tackle Mekhi Becton with the No. 11 pick in 2020. Now Vera-Tucker and Becton will be playing next to one another.

Vera-Tucker said he is excited to block for Wilson.

“He’s a guy who’s going to be a game-changer right away,” he said. “Who doesn’t want to block for someone like that? That’s going to be real exciting.”

NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said last week that Vera-Tucker would be “the home run of all home run picks” for the Jets if he got to 23. Clearly, Douglas did not think Vera-Tucker would get that far and made the bold move to jump up.

Vera-Tucker said he will embrace the challenge of turning the Jets around.

“I love it. I’ve been in this position before just playing so many sports growing up,” he said. “Not every year is going to be the greatest year. I’m going to come in, I know what the Jets fan base is like, I know they’re pretty intense. I love that type of atmosphere. I’m going to come in and embrace it.”