Three recent Jets draft classes teach us three sets of lessons, most notably sticking with your plan.

Locked on Jets starts now.

You are Locked on Jets, your daily New York Jets podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network,

your team every day.

I'm John B from gangreneation.com, and on today's show, we're going to take a step back

and look at recent Jets history. I don't think we do that enough analyzing the NFL because there are lessons

to be learned in history. We're going to take a look at three Jets draft classes over the last 20 years

and the lessons they provide. Unfortunately, there are numerous examples of the Jets showing us what not to do.

There's also an example that shows the value of leaning into the strength of a draft class

and the cost of not doing that.

But we'll also talk about understanding your plan and executing it.

And that's where we'll begin.

My three Jets draft classes begin 20 years ago.

The year was 2006.

The Jets were coming off an absolutely miserable 2005 season. One of the worst

jet seasons I can remember in the more than 30 years I've watched the team. And when you've

followed this team for 30 years, you've seen a lot of bad seasons. But in 2005, the Jets went

four and 12. That was a team that had Super Bowl dreams. It was a team that had gone to the

divisional round of the playoffs the year before, lost an absolute heartbreaker in Pittsburgh to a

Steelers team that finished 15 and 1 in the regular season. That was the game where Doug Bryan

missed two field goals in the final two minutes of regulation. The Jets eventually lost to Pittsburgh

in overtime, and the Steelers went on to the AFC championship game. The Jets made a lot of big moves in the offseason that preceded it. They brought back Laverneas Coles in a trade from Washington. They signed Thai Law, Hall of Fame, deep cornerback from New England. But the season was a disaster. Jets were decimated by injuries. Chad Pennington was never really healthy.

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