The pre-draft rumors about Joe Douglas’ 2022 NFL Draft plans underscored the mistakes he made in the 2020 draft. 

That was Douglas’ first draft as Jets general manager after getting hired in June 2019. The Jets selected tackle Mekhi Becton in the first round and wide receiver Denzel Mims in the second round. Entering Thursday night’s first round, the Jets are considering drafting a tackle with and/or a wide receiver with their two first-round picks. 

That Douglas is even weighing the idea of drafting a tackle and wide receiver just two years after selecting Becton and Mims is damning. 

Becton showed promise as a rookie, but has struggled to stay on the field. Last year, the Jets were unhappy with Becton in training camp and then he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 1. He has struggled to keep his weight under control and was rumored to be more than 400 pounds last season when he was not playing. 

Mims had 23 catches for 357 yards as a rookie in nine games in 2020. He was expected to be a starting receiver last year, but a bout of food poisoning in the spring slowed his progress and he fell out of favor with the coaches. Mims was inactive for two games early in the season and played only sparingly all year. He finished the year with eight catches for 133 yards. 

At the league meetings in March, Douglas expressed belief in his 2020 draft class. 

“My expectations are high,” Douglas said. “Just checking in with their agents and seeing some of the videos that they’ve forwarded me, seeing how hard they work. I’m excited for all of those guys, not just Mekhi and Denzel, but Jabari [Zuniga], Ashtyn [Davis], Bryce [Hall], all the guys coming back from the 2020 and 2021 draft. Get them back on the field with the new players we added. So, look, we’re very optimistic on all these guys coming back. I talked about it at our end of season presser, a big focus for us, and I don’t think this is breaking news, great teams, teams that are in the playoffs, they keep their good players healthy. That’s going to be a huge focus for us, keeping those guys healthy and keeping them on the field for those December, meaningful games.” 

But Douglas’ actions tell a different story. The Jets entered Thursday night with N.C. State tackle Ikem Ekwonu a possible choice to possibly replace Becton. Douglas tried to trade for Tyreek Hill and was still trying to pry Deebo Samuel from the 49ers as of Thursday afternoon. If he could not land Samuel, Douglas was expected to draft a receiver, possibly in the first round. 

Mims could be in jeopardy of not even making the team this year. Becton has already lost his hold on the starting left tackle spot and his days with the Jets could be numbered if the Jets drafted a tackle. 

Jets coach Robert Saleh has expressed his belief that they can still turn things around. 

“For me, we all want to see that progress, that glimmer of hope that you’re about to be a superstar,” Saleh said at the league meetings, “that step in the right direction that you’re going to be a fixture in the NFL for years to come. That’s what you’re looking for out of these young guys, but you also want to see Becton make a comeback and have a great third year. You want to see Mimsy come back and have his best year and Ashtyn Davis and all the ’20 draft picks to bounce back from what happened a year ago. They have a chance, they’re all special and they can do this. So, there’s a lot of things that we want to look between now and the season that when the season starts, there’s that jump that we’d like to see everyone make.”