Joe Douglas: We were trying to corner the market on Michael Carters

[Broadway Joe]

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One of the quirkier developments in this year’s draft came on the final day when the Jets followed up their fourth-round selection of running back Michael Carter by picking defensive back Michael Carter II in the fifth round.

After the draft, General Manager Joe Douglas joked that the team was trying to “corner the market” on Michael Carters. While it was going on, some on social media quipped that the team took the wrong player the first time around and corrected their mistake.

That wasn’t the case, but head coach Robert Saleh was momentarily confused when draft coverage showed the wrong Michael Carter on the screen in the fourth round.

“I think the humor in it all, when we took Michael Carter the running back, ESPN threw up Michael Carter II on the screen and we were like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute,’ and checked the notes and made sure we made the right pick,” Saleh said. “But, lucky for us, Michael II ended up falling to us and we were able to scoop him up. So, like I said, we’re excited to have him both.”

The Jets also drafted guard Alijah Vera-Tucker in the first round and wide receiver Elijah Moore in the second round, so names that sound the same were a running theme of their 2021 draft.