Joe Douglas maneuvered the draft board to start Day 3
Despite entering the day with three fourth-round picks, New York Jets fans had to wait patiently before Joe Douglas finally made a selection, as he executed three trades in the round. The Jets wound up with only one fourth-round pick, No. 134 overall (the second-to-last pick of the round), using it on Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen.
With the No. 134 overall pick in the 2024 @NFLDraft, the @nyjets select Braelon Allen!
📺: #NFLDraft on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/2k4FrkvmoS— NFL (@NFL) April 27, 2024
Seen below are the three trades made by the Jets. Ultimately, they turned two fourth-round picks (Nos. 111 and No. 129) into two fifth-round picks (Nos. 173 and 176), a sixth-round pick (No. 190) and a 2025 third-round pick from Detroit.
On the move. pic.twitter.com/YfBJK5oZy7
— New York Jets (@nyjets) April 27, 2024
wheelin' & dealin' pic.twitter.com/kDeIKxaAoQ
— New York Jets (@nyjets) April 27, 2024
More trades! pic.twitter.com/n2uAdjPXVq
— New York Jets (@nyjets) April 27, 2024
Allen is a 6-foot-1, 235-pound running back who only just turned 20 years old this January. He was a teammate of current Jets center Joe Tippmann.
In three years at Wisconsin, Allen rushed 597 times for 3,494 yards and 35 touchdowns, adding 49 receptions for 275 yards. Allen became the Badgers’ top playmaker as a true freshman in 2021, rushing 186 times for 1,268 yards and 12 touchdowns at 17 years old.
Running back depth was a need for the Jets, as beyond Breece Hall, their only other running backs were Israel Abanikanda, Xazavian Valladay, and Jacques Patrick. Of those three, Abanikanda is the only one who took an NFL carry last year. The 2023 fifth-round pick rushed 22 times for only 70 yards (3.2 per carry) and no touchdowns, so while he offers upside, the Jets needed to add competition for the talented 21-year-old from Brooklyn.
The Jets have five draft picks remaining, with two in the fifth round, two in the sixth round, and one in the seventh round.
