One thing to love about each Jets draft pick

The Jets added 10 new players to their roster during the 2021 NFL draft. Each one carries a unique skill set that will hopefully help New York get back on track sooner rather than later.

Joe Douglas used this year’s draft to land Gang Green’s potential quarterback of the future, protection for said quarterback, multiple offensive weapons and five new defenders. Douglas still has plenty of work to do to get the Jets ready to go for training camp, but there is plenty for New York to be excited about when it comes to its incoming crop of rookies.

Let’s take a look at one big thing to love about each of the Jets’ 10 draft picks.

QB Zach Wilson: Arm strength

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Wilson is far from a finished product, but there is no doubt that he can already sling it with the best of them. Wilson flashed his raw arm strength throughout his junior season at BYU and hammered the strength home further with an electric display of deep balls at his pro day. Wilson's game can stand to benefit from a multitude of improvements, but he has the kind of arm strength you simply cannot teach. That is a major feather in his cap entering his rookie season.

IOL Alijah Vera-Tucker: Versatility

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Vera-Tucker played tackle throughout his career at USC but will kick inside to guard in the NFL. Joe Douglas viewed him as a top 10 player in this year's draft and it is easy to see why, as Vera-Tucker gives opposing defensive linemen a lot of problems in both run and pass protection. Where Vera-Tucker plays on the offensive line does not make much of a difference. He's a safe bet to get the job done every time out. The Jets will benefit from that right off the bat.

Elijah Moore: Steady hands

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There is a lot to be said about Moore's game. He's dangerous in the open field, a good route runner and has enough speed to beat a defense downfield. There is no beating a receiver that can be trusted to catch every single pass that comes his way, though, and that is what Moore brings to the Jets. He rarely dropped passes at Ole Miss and did not drop a single ball thrown his way in the red zone during his career with the Rebels. You cannot put a price on that kind of reliability.

RB Michael Carter: Game-breaking ability

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Josh Adams, Tevin Coleman, Ty Johnson and La'Mical Perine are all solid running backs, but none possess the game-breaking ability Carter is bringing with him to New York. Whether it was using his speed to beat defenders around the edge for a long touchdown run or catching passes out of the backfield and making tacklers miss in space, Carter made a living off chunk plays during his career at North Carolina.

LB Jamien Sherwood: Modern-day skill set

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Players who can do a little bit of everything have more value in the NFL now than they ever have before. Sherwood fits that profile to a tee, making him an asset Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich can use to their advantage. Sherwood can play over the top in coverage as a safety, in the box as a weak-side linebacker, or even as a deep nickel in obvious passing situations. New York's defense needed playmakers entering the draft and Sherwood can provide that from almost any position on the field.

CB Michael Carter II: Nose for the ball

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Whether it be snuffing out run plays or thwarting pass attempts downfield, Carter II has a knack for making plays. In four years at Duke, Carter II tallied 135 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, 23 defended passes, four interceptions and 1.5 sacks. He was one of the Blue Devils' most productive defenders throughout his collegiate career and that ability to be in the right place at the right time should carry over to the NFL.

CB Jason Pinnock: Athleticism

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Pinnock is a high-upside player entering the NFL and the key to his untapped potential is his athleticism. The Pittsburgh product posted an unreal 39.5-inch vertical on his pro day and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds -- a solid time for a cornerback. Pinnock still has work to do to improve his fundamentals, but his athleticism is what got him to this point and will play a major role in his success at the next level.

LB Hamsah Nasirildeen: Confidence

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Nasirildeen wasted no time asserting himself as a steal for the Jets, calling himself a first-round talent despite his late-round draft slot. The good news for New York is Nasirildeen plays with the kind of swagger he showed in his post-draft press conference and it showed at Florida State when he was healthy. Nasirildeen was one of the best safeties in college football before his senior season was almost entirely wiped out due to injury. He has a dynamic, versatile skill set and plays like he is the alpha dog of the defense every snap he is on the field. That kind of personality will win Saleh and his teammates over quickly.

CB Brandin Echols: Ball skills

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Echols is a top-tier athlete with a lightning-quick 4.34 40-yard dash to his name, but his ball skills are what made him a force at Kentucky and got him onto NFL draft boards. Echols posted 12 pass breakups and allowed just four touchdowns in 24 SEC games over the past two seasons. Posting those numbers in the best conference in college football is no easy feat and Echols was able to pull it off.

DT Jonathan Marshall: Testing numbers

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Defensive tackle prospects typically don't put up the kind of numbers Marshall did at his pro day. Marshall’s 4.81 40-yard dash, 32-inch vertical jump and 36 bench press reps ranked first among all defensive tackles in NextGen Stats’ athleticism score. Raw athleticism might not translate into production for Marshall in the NFL as it did at Arkansas, but the Jets certainly have a foundation to build upon with him.

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