There’s been an avalanche of football discourse over the past few months about what direction the New York Jets should go with the second overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft. Arvell Reese? David Bailey? Sonny Styles?

The thing is, their other first-round pick ought to be garnering just as much attention, if not more, considering the ambiguity of this year’s class.

And yet, it feels like we’ve reached a point where the vast majority of people just assume that the Jets will do one of three things with that 16th overall pick: draft whichever of the top three wide receiver prospects falls, draft Penn State guard “Vega” Ioane to replace the departed Alijah Vera-Tucker, or draft Alabama QB Ty Simpson.

But you know what they say about assuming.

What if they don’t love Simpson? Ioane is one of the best players in the entire class and could easily be gone. The Dolphins just traded Jaylen Waddle, leaving new quarterback Malik Willis with nobody to throw to. Miami could easily go receiver with that 11th overall pick.

The Rams inquired about A.J. Brown, signaling they want to add a pass catcher as well. That 13th overall pick of theirs would be a great place to do it. The Giants, Browns, Saints and Chiefs will all likely consider going receiver in the top 10 as well. 

The point is: what if Darren Mougey and company go on the clock after the Buccaneers pick at 15, and all of those aforementioned options are gone?

Well, here are five under-discussed alternative options the Jets may consider with the 16th overall pick if that were to happen.

Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon

“But the Jets just drafted Mason Taylor in the second round last year!”

Yes, while this regime has already invested a premium draft pick in the tight end position, don’t rule this out as a possibility.

The Jets need more pass catchers. Period. And if the new offensive staff deems Sadiq one of the best pass catchers in this class, they won’t let Taylor’s mildly encouraging rookie season stand in the way of that. There can be room for both of them.

At 6-foot-3, 241 pounds, it isn’t an exaggeration to say Sadiq somehow moves better than most wide receivers. He ran a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, which is the fastest ever by a tight end.

Sadiq’s 1.54-second 10-yard split shows genuine explosiveness as well, which very much shows up on tape both before and after the catch. His dynamic movement skills give him a pretty diverse route tree, which, paired with his dominance as a blocker, leaves very little reason to ever take him off the field.

In a world where Jordyn Tyson, Carnell Tate and Makai Lemon are all off the board by the time the Jets pick at 16, grabbing the best tight end in the draft in Sadiq would be a nice pass-catching consolation prize.

Spencer Fano, OL, Utah

Whether Utah right tackle Spencer Fano is still on the board at pick 16 will depend largely on how teams view his arm length, but make no mistake, this is one of the most talented players in the entire draft.

The widely accepted threshold for an NFL tackle’s arm length is 33 inches, but Fano’s measured 32⅛” at the combine. At his pro day, however, the measurement came in at 32⅞”, which is far more acceptable. There’s been a lot of discussion in recent weeks surrounding the accuracy of this year’s combine measurements, so it’s tough to say just how much stock teams are putting into them versus those taken at individual pro days.

If the combine number is accurate, Fano will almost certainly be playing either guard or center at the next level, which would push him down the board and into Mougey’s lap at 16. The Jets did sign a serviceable starter at left guard in Dylan Parham, but Fano would provide much more upside for the group as a whole. His technique as a run blocker has been pro-ready since last season, and his absurd athleticism gives him huge upside in pass protection as well.

Adding a guy like Fano would make the departure of AVT to the Patriots a much easier pill to swallow for Jets fans.

CJ Allen, LB, Georgia

Something I feel hasn’t gotten nearly the attention it deserves is the fact that Georgia linebacker CJ Allen literally called the defense for the Bulldogs this past season.

Talked to Georgia linebacker CJ Allen a bit just now.

Apparently Glenn Schumann just let him run the show on the field most of the time unless he had a specific situational call on the sheet he wanted to get into.

For everything else, Allen did the calls, the checks, all of it.

— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) February 25, 2026

You read that right. Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann had so much trust in this guy—a true junior, by the way—that he simply let him “run the show.”

With everything else we know about Allen’s leadership and football IQ, that definitely checks out. After all, he was a true freshman starter in a Kirby Smart defense, and he has only improved with each year of experience.

While his coverage skills are just average, this guy’s leadership, intelligence, physicality and prowess as a run defender make him a force at the center of any defense.

Even if the Jets opt for Arvell Reese at the second overall pick, Allen could still make sense later if the long-term plan for Reese is at edge. Having Demario Davis back in the building to mentor Allen would be absolutely incredible for the latter’s development.

The 16th overall pick is likely a tad early for Allen, but it’s worth noting that Aaron Glenn’s previous team, the Lions, “reached” for linebacker Jack Campbell in the middle of the first round in 2023. When Glenn wants his guy, he has historically gone out and gotten him.

Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon

There may not have been a single player who helped his draft stock more at the combine than Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman.

Aside from running a blazing 4.35 in the 40-yard dash, his on-field workouts were arguably the most impressive of any player. In a room full of impressive athletes, he looked far quicker and smoother than anybody else, and his tape backs that up. Ohio State superstar Caleb Downs opting not to workout ended up helping Thieneman even more.

Even in a loaded safety class, Thieneman stands out as someone you can ask to do pretty much anything. Want him to play single-high and roam the back end? He can do that. Want him playing down in the box, defending the run as a strong safety? Sure thing. Need him in the slot to erase a dangerous receiver or tight end? He’s got that too.

While the Jets did trade for an aging Minkah Fitzpatrick and added a nice free agent depth piece in Dane Belton, Thieneman would be adding a whole different animal to the secondary. And learning from Fitzpatrick wouldn’t hurt, either.

Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee

Tennessee corner Jermod McCoy is a really interesting case.

His 2024 tape is legit top-ten-overall-pick-type of stuff, but a torn ACL in January 2025 kept him off the field for his entire junior season. Then he opted not to work out at the combine. So essentially, nobody has seen this guy play football in well over a year.

What we have seen, though, is a big, long, physical, SEC corner with legitimate ball skills and stickiness in coverage. McCoy’s draft range could literally be anywhere, depending on how teams view his medicals and the decision not to work out at the combine.

It’s interesting that some people seem to think Aaron Glenn has an affinity for smaller corners because of the fact that he was one himself, when in reality, everything he’s shown us points to the opposite. With the Lions, Glenn took the big, lanky Terrion Arnold in the first round in 2024. When Glenn was the Saints’ defensive backs coach, New Orleans took the big, lanky Marshon Lattimore in the first round in 2017.

If logic tracks, would it be that unbelievable for him to fall in love with the 6-foot-1 McCoy and take him at 16?

Considering the contract they gave to Brandon Stephens a year ago, and the promise Azareye’h Thomas showed as a rookie, it may not be the most efficient use of resources, but there does exist a world where this regime views McCoy as too talented to pass up on.