Joe Douglas did it again.
The Jets general manager took a running back in the NFL Draft for a fifth consecutive year, which is also how long he's been with New York.
Douglas drafted Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft with the No. 134 selection. He doubled down at the position in the fifth round with the selection of South Dakota State's Isaiah Davis.
In the previous years with the team, Douglas drafted La’Michel Perine, Michael Carter, Breece Hall and Izzy Abanikanda. Only Hall and Abanikanda are still with the team, though. And with the selection of Allen and Davis, Abanikanda's roster spot is no longer secure.
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Jets RBs drafted since 2020
Here are all the running backs the Jets have drafted since Joe Douglas took over in 2020:
La’Michel Perine
Perine was the fifth player drafted by Douglas in the 2020 NFL Draft. Perine saw quality action during his rookie year and finished with 232 yards and two touchdowns on 64 rushing attempts. He didn't see many snaps in 2021, though, and was cut before the 2022 season.
Perine bounced around during 2022 before he found his way on the Chiefs in 2023. While he only played in three games, Perine started once and finished the year with 77 rushing yards on 22 attempts — and a Super Bowl ring.
Michael Carter
Douglas drafted another fourth-round running back in 2021 in Carter. The former UNC running back saw a lot of snaps during his first two years in the league and started 21 games from 2021 to 2022.
Carter tallied 639 rushing yards and four touchdowns as a rookie with 36 receptions for 325 receiving yards. He followed that up with 402 rushing yards and three touchdowns and 41 receptions for 288 yards when he was forced to take over for then-rookie Breece Hall.
JETS DRAFT PICKS 2024: Full list of NFL Draft selections for Jets
Breece Hall
The Jets made Hall the first running back selected in the 2022 draft after selecting him with the No. 26 pick. Hall didn't start Week 1 but eventually took over as the lead back and excelled before an ACL tear ended his season in Week 8. He finished his rookie season with 463 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, 19 receptions, 218 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.
Hall broke out in 2023 after he fully recovered from his ACL tear. He finished with 994 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns, 591 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. Hall figures to remain the Jets' top back in 2024.
Izzy Abanikanda
Douglas returned to the running back well in the fourth round in 2023 with the selection of Abanikanda. The Jets had a deep running back group this past year with Hall, Carter, Abanikanda and eventually Dalvin Cook before New York cut Carter after Week 10 and eventually moved on from Cook as well.
Abanikanda didn't see much action as a rookie, though. He finished with 22 carries for 70 yards in six games. He also returned two kickoffs.
Braelon Allen
Allen became the fifth running back selected by Douglas, and fourth in the fourth round. He figures to become Hall's primary backup considering his experience, size and production potential. Allen is a bruiser, while Abanikanda is a speedster. Both offer different skillsets from the dynamic Hall for the Jets' offense in 2024.
Isaiah Davis
The second big-bodied running back taken by the Jets in this draft. Davis is thickly built at 6-foot and 218 pounds. In college, Davis rushed 676 times for 4,548 rushing yards and 50 touchdowns with a 6.7 yards per carry average and 487 receiving yards.
