Former NFL GM says Joe Douglas took 'meat and potato' players in the NFL Draft. That's a good thing for the New York Jets.

The New York Jets are a better team then they were before the NFL Draft says former NFL GM Randy Mueller.

After six rounds and eight selections in the NFL Draft, the New York Jets are a better team than they were this time a week ago.

In terms of areas of need, the Jets definitely improved with immediate starters in Mekhi Becton (left tackle), Denzel Mims (wide receiver), Jabari Zuniga (defensive end) and Bryce Hall (cornerback). While Hall might be a bit away in terms of being able to see the field due to health, he was a likely top 50 selection in the draft if he didn’t have an ankle injury midway through his senior season at Virginia.

With their other picks, the Jets added depth but also developmental players who project to one day earn starting jobs. With that, the reviews on general manager Joe Douglas’ first draft with the Jets have been overwhelmingly positive.

For Randy Mueller, a former general manager with the New Orleans Saints and the Miami Dolphins, Douglas improved the Jets through the draft. They are a better team than they were before the draft.

“The Jets definitely added talent to their team. Over-all a solid class of ‘meat and potato’ guys, which as a team builder, I like,” Mueller told SportsIllsutrated.com’s ‘Jets Country.’

“I think what Joe did was add some depth and is starting to build it with ‘his kind of guys.’ They are definitely getting better.”

It had been a tough track record in recent years for the Jets with their draft classes. While the last three selections in the first round (safety Jamal Adams, quarterback Sam Darnold and nose tackle Quinnen Williams) have all proven to be successful picks, the rest of the drafts in recent years have struggled to gain traction come Day 2. And yes, Williams has been a successful pick in a position that isn’t flashy.

That Douglas appears to have nailed several picks in the later rounds as well as likely landing a handful of starters for this upcoming season (punter Braden Mann would be included on this list), it was undoubtedly a strong draft for the Jets.

In the NFL, Mueller most recently spent a decade with the San Diego Chargers as their senior executive for football operations. He was the NFL Executive of the Year in 2000.