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Heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, the New York Jets had a clear goal. The team was focused on Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs. According to former general manager Joe Douglas, the Jets were dead set on taking Gibbs if he was still on the draft board when their pick came up. They had every reason to believe he would be.
But draft night rarely sticks to the plan. The Detroit Lions, sitting at No. 12, shocked the league by grabbing Gibbs much earlier than expected. That left the Jets desperate and forced them to adjust as time was clicking.
In a recent interview with NFL insider Jay Glazer, Douglas admitted he usually keeps his draft plans extremely close, via Paul Andrew Edsen Jr. Looking back, he joked that if he had shared their interest in Gibbs with Glazer earlier, the insider’s world might have tipped them off that other teams were eyeing Gibbs earlier in the draft than expected. If the Jets had known that, they might have considered trading up to lock in their guy.
If Gibbs had landed with the Jets, it could have changed everything. Matching his explosive speed with Aaron Rodgers arm and Garrett Wilson’s route, running would’ve made the Jets offense a nightmare to defend, opposing teams would have faced a triple threat, struggling to defend both Rodgers' throws and Gibbs' dynamic running and receiving skills.
It’s another case of how unpredictable and ruthless the draft can be. One move by another team can change months of planning. The Jets experience with Gibbs is a reminder that good scouting and good strategy can still get overwhelmed by the pure chaos of draft night.
In the end, the Jets missed out on a player they believed could add serious speed and spark to their offense. And for Douglas, it’s now just one more what if in a career full of them.
