Jets general manager Joe Douglas chose protector over playmaker in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Douglas used the No. 11 overall pick Thursday night on tackle Olu Fashanu from Penn State to give the team some short-term insurance at the position and a possible long-term answer.
The Jets traded down one pick with the Vikings, who took Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
After the Falcons’ stunning drafting of Michael Penix forced McCarthy into the double-digit pick selections, the Jets traded the No. 10 pick to the Minnesota Vikings, who owned No. 11.
This move kept the Jets in position to still draft tFashanu, while also adding one extra pick and moving up later in the draft.
The Jets received picks 11, 129 (fourth round) and 157 (fifth round) in exchange for selections 10 and 203 (sixth round), the team announced.
The Jets entered this draft facing a decision of whether to take a playmaker for quarterback Aaron Rodgers or a lineman to keep the 40-year-old upright.
The team did work in free agency at both positions, leaving a choice for Douglas in the first round Thursday.
In March, the Jets signed Tyron Smith in free agency and traded for Morgan Moses with the Ravens.
They are projected to start at left and right tackle, respectively. But both players are 33 years old and have recent injury histories.
That made many believe the Jets needed to draft a tackle to provide insurance if one of them can’t make it through 17 games and be a probable starter in 2025.
Both Smith and Moses have one year left on their contracts.
The decision to go with a tackle is more of a long-term move than if they had drafted a pass catcher at 10, which many people projected.
The top three receivers all came off the board before the Jets picked, with the Cardinals taking Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 4, the Giants grabbing Malik Nabers with the No. 9 pick and the Bears selecting Washington star Rome Odunze with the No. 9 pick, right before the Jets were on the clock.
The Jets currently have Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams as their top two receivers, but Williams is coming off of ACL surgery.
After the top two, there is a significant drop off at wide receiver and Douglas may need to address that later in this Draft.
In taking Fashanu, the Jets also passed on top tight end Brock Bowers.
The Raiders selected Bowers with the 13th pick.
