The first round of the 2021 NFL draft took place Thursday evening, and officials with the Jets and Giants are happy with how it played out.

The Jets took BYU’s Zach Wilson as the franchise’s new quarterback. He hopes to be the spark that turns things around for the team, which hasn’t made the playoffs in a decade.

“This is a team game. You can go from a losing season on year to a winning season the next,’ Wilson said. “You can flip it real quick, so I’m excited to get in there and help make things work.”

It will be a very different Jets team that steps on the field in a week. Wilson says that he is excited to work with new head coach Robert Saleh.

“I think with Coach Saleh I think the most important part of a head coach is the culture that he brings in and his energy and passion and the ability to bring guys around him, I think is so special,” Wilson says.

The Jets also traded up from 23 to 14 to take USC’s Alijah Vera-Tucker. The offensive lineman says that he is excited to work with Wilson.

“It’s a great opportunity. You obviously see so much film of him…He’s going to come in and be a game changer right away and who doesn’t want to block for someone like that?” Vera-Tucker asks.

As for the Giants, the team traded down with Chicago from 11 to 20 in exchange for picks, including a first-rounder next year.

The team also selected Florida’s Kadarius Toney. The wide receiver says he is excited to join a team that has had some legendary players.

“It’s kind of crazy. Growing up watching NFL football sometimes, like me just going to a team that – Eli Manning was there. Odell [Beckham] was there. A lot of people were a part of this franchise and I’m just next in line to do something special,” he says.