Jimmy Johnson's Warning to the Jets: Eight First and Second Round Picks Mean Nothing If You Whiff
The New York Jets are sitting on what looks like a treasure chest. Eight first and second round picks across the next two drafts. That's the kind of haul that can reshape a franchise. But Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson has a reality check for the front office: stockpiling picks is the easy part.
"The key is not getting the picks," Johnson told ESPN last week. "The key is picking the right players." He would know. Thirty-five years ago, Johnson was exactly where the Jets are now, loaded with draft ammunition after the Dallas Cowboys pulled off the Herschel Walker trade in 1989. He used that windfall to build a dynasty in the 1990s.
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The Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams trades last November weren't as massive as the Walker deal, but they set the Jets up for a similar moment. Those two trades brought back three first-round picks and one second-rounder. Add it all together, and the Jets now have eight selections in the first two rounds over the next two years. According to ESPN Research, only six teams have ever accumulated that many first and second round picks in consecutive drafts. The Jets could be the seventh, and they're the first team in five years to be this top-heavy.
The Herschel Walker Lesson
Johnson used his picks from the Walker trade across the 1990 and 1991 drafts, grabbing eight combined first and second round selections. That foundation carried the Cowboys through a dynasty run. But here's the thing: having the picks isn't the same as nailing them. History is littered with teams that stockpiled draft capital and squandered it. The Miami Dolphins (2020-21) and Indianapolis Colts (2018-19) both loaded up on picks and came up short.
If the Jets use these picks wisely, Johnson said, "this could give them a foundation for years to come." But that's a massive if. The window is there. Now they have to hit.
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