Jets general manager Joe Douglas and assistant GM Rex Hogan met with the media on Thursday for their pre-draft press conference. 

But the first question was not about draft evaluations, the No. 4 pick or even anything about the current Jets roster. It was about 49ers star wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who told ESPN on Wednesday that he wants to be traded.

“Rex, you got this one?” Douglas joked when the question was asked about whether the Jets were in the market for Samuel.

Douglas then showed some nice dance moves for a man his size.

“I can’t get into specifics when it comes to a player that’s not on our roster,” Douglas said. “I’ll just say that since coming here, I’ve made it known that my job is to get the team better and we’re going do that via any avenue we can.”

Douglas showed his desire to land a top receiver when he made an aggressive bid for Tyreek Hill last month before the Chiefs traded him to the Dolphins. At the moment, the belief inside the Jets is that the 49ers won’t deal Samuel, but things can change. If San Francisco does make Samuel available, the Jets surely would be interested in adding that kind of weapon to their offense to help quarterback Zach Wilson. 

“If the right opportunity presents itself to make this roster better, we’re going to attack it and be aggressive,” Douglas said, speaking in general and not specifically about Samuel.

The possibility of a trade for Samuel is a fascinating subplot for the Jets entering next Thursday’s NFL Draft. If they don’t make a move for Samuel or another veteran wide receiver like the Titans’ A.J. Brown, Douglas is expected to draft a wide receiver early. Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson, USC’s Drake London and Alabama’s Jameson Williams are all possibilities for the Jets with the No. 10 overall pick. 

“We feel very fortunate to have the receivers we have in that room,” Douglas said of his current group of wideouts. “Corey [Davis] and Elijah [Moore] were on pace for really good seasons before injury. We’re all excited to have Braxton [Berrios] back. He played so well down the stretch – a Pro Bowl caliber returner. Then, also some young guys we’re excited about, some guys that have come back ready to roll for OTAs. There’s going to be great competition. Like any other position, if there’s an opportunity to add quality players, quality depth, we’re going to do it.”

The Jets also could wait until Day 2 of the draft to take a receiver. In recent years, teams have had as much success taking receivers in the second round as they have in the first and this year’s receiver class is a deep one again. 

“Overall, the receiver group as a whole, there’s a lot of parity at the top of the draft and throughout the draft,” Hogan said.

Douglas has spent his first 2 1/2 years on the job putting the Jets in position to be flexible if opportunities came along. The Jets have nine draft picks this year, four in the top 38. That is the result of trading Jamal Adams and Sam Darnold. Douglas has also had to clear bad contracts and get the Jets into the salary cap shape needed to make big moves. 

The Jets feel that they are now in a spot where they can be involved in any appealing trade discussion that comes along.

“It’s a great position to be in,” Douglas said. “Obviously, there have been a lot of moves made to be in this position. Unfortunately, we’ve had to trade some really good players to be in this position but it’s a great opportunity to be part of any opportunity that comes up and have those discussions and if the right situation presents itself, we can be in it.”

Douglas said discussions with other GMs about draft-day trade scnearios are just “starting to heat up.” He expects to add four starters with those first- and second-round picks and he reiterated that the Jets have higher expectations this year. 

“We expect to be playing in meaningful games in December,” Douglas said. “We feel like we’re a better team now than we were at the end of last season and we’re going to get better here in a few days. “