Former Jets offensive lineman Willie Colon is not a fan of taking a quarterback high in the draft. But since the Jets appear to be heading in that direction with BYU’s Zach Wilson, Colon thinks they have to do everything they can to surround him with talent.

Colon was on SportsMapRadio’s “The Jake Asman Show” on Wednesday and said the Jets need to put Wilson in a “car that can drive” if they plan to draft him second overall. He added that the great teams are the ones that build from “within,” and that’s what Colon thinks the Jets need to do in regard to their offensive line.

“You got Becton on the left, having a quality right tackle really caps that line,” Colon said. “You can build, you can dig in and get some guards, get some scrappy yards because you need protection.”

Colon, who played for the Jets from 2013-2015, saw how much having no protection hurt Sam Darnold. Darnold was sacked 98 times in his three seasons with the Jets from 2018-2020. Not only did that lack of protection impact his performance, but it also led to injuries. Darnold missed three games as a rookie because of a foot strain and another three last year because of a shoulder injury.

The Jets can’t let that happen again if they draft another quarterback, whether it’s Wilson or someone else. Becton, Connor McGovern and George Fant are seemingly the only locks on the offensive line to return in 2021. Both Alex Lewis and Greg Van Roten could still be released if the Jets decide to go in that direction. Those five players didn’t prove much last season, though, giving up 43 sacks, which was ninth-most in the league.

Fortunately for the Jets, they have the draft capital to build the offensive line. They have another first-round pick at No. 23 overall, one second-round pick and two third-round picks. Joe Douglas is also an advocator of the offensive line and proved that by taking two linemen in the 2020 NFL draft.

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2021 NFL draft: OL options for the Jets in the early, middle & late rounds