The New York Jets were a wild card heading into the 2024 NFL Draft.

Many fans and analysts were convinced that the team was gearing up to select Brock Bowers, the top-rated tight end in the class.

Bowers might be a fantastic prospect, and while the Jets might have considered taking him, they ultimately went in another direction.

Joe Douglas recently appeared on an ESPN radio show, and, as Paul Andrew Esden Jr. pointed out on Twitter, Douglas provided insight into the team’s pick.

“It became really clear like we’re going to get a player in Olu [Fashanu] that is highly productive, is our type of guy, plays with our type of mentality, and it was just an opportunity that we couldn’t pass up,” Douglas said.

#Jets GM Joe Douglas provided an irrefutable argument why they went OT over Brock Bowers in the #NFLDraft:

‘What are the problems that could really sidetrack the team moving forward? It became really clear like we’re going to get a player in Olu [Fashanu] that is highly… pic.twitter.com/olZcTvCy9R

— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) April 30, 2024

Fashanu was viewed as one of the best offensive lineman prospects in the class, and the Jets saw an opportunity to better protect Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers is coming off an Achilles tear from Week 1 of the 2023 season, which forced him to miss the rest of the season.

This effectively crushed the Jets’ chances of making the playoffs, which would have been their first postseason appearance in more than a decade.

It will be interesting to see how the Jets fair in 2024, given the amount of pieces they’ve added in the offseason.

Fashanu should certainly help their cause, and the other offensive players they’ve added should help Rodgers get going in the right direction, provided he is fully healthy and able to perform similarly to how he has in prior seasons.