The Jets are right back to square one again, with a new QB and a new plan. For the seventh time in just a decade, New York will run out a new field general to open the season. However, the Jets have a chance to inch even closer to success with two top-16 draft picks.
Whether it’s improving their front seven or adding another lethal receiving weapon next to Garrett Wilson, Aaron Glenn and his staff can go in several different game-changing directions. Here’s a final Jets mock draft with just a day before the selections take place.
No. 2: Arvell Reese — EDGE, Ohio State
The Jets enter the 2026 draft with one goal — getting better with any possible pick. Aaron Glenn didn’t live up to the hype in his first season as head coach, finishing 3-14. At the deadline, New York made the shocking move to part ways with elite CB Sauce Gardner, receiving a bundle of first-round picks in return. Along with this, the Jets also moved longtime DL Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys.
The Jets are in clear rebuild mode. In this draft, there’s no quarterback worthy of being selected second overall. This leaves the Jets with options, including the idea of trading down or grabbing the most skilled player in the class — Arvell Reese. The Ohio State linebacker has been compared to a chess piece, given his ability to play comfortably in almost any defensive formation. In 2025, Reese tallied 69 tackles along with 6.5 sacks, earning consensus All-America honors.
No. 16: Makai Lemon — WR, USC
Talk about creating the perfect one-two punch, adding Maki Lemon to a room already led by Garrett Wilson gives whoever’s under the helm some guaranteed firepower. The Jets managed to go the entire season without a receiver totaling more than 400, a nod to how brutal not only their QB room was, but also their weaponry stood after Wilson went down with a season-ending injury. Lemon’s refined route-running and “quarterback-friendly” style are seen as essential for stabilizing their offense.
In 2025, Lemon dominated, totaling 79 receptions for 1,156 yards along with 11 touchdowns. The junior held an absurd drop-rate of just 2.8%, another factor in his award for the top college receiver last season. Pairing Wilson with an already NFL-ready receiver mans the Jets offense with two solid weapons for the future.
No. 33: Avieon Terrell — CB, Clemson
One of the wildest stats in NFL history: The Jets went the entire season without recording a defensive interception. Aaron Glenn prioritizes physical, versatile defensive backs who can handle complex coverages.
Terrell is a rare “inside-outside” weapon who played 71% of his 2025 snaps on the boundary and 17% in the slot. This flexibility allows him to complement existing corners like Brandon Stephens and Jarvis Brownlee Jr. by moving based on the opponent’s best receiver.
No. 44: Caleb Banks — DL, Florida
With their second selection of the second round, the Jets again have a chance to fill a major need. Draft analysts consider defensive lineman Caleb Banks a potential top-10 prospect due to his size and interior disruption.
Banks would be an instant NFL-ready fit following the departure of Quinnen Williams. The Jets struggled against the run in 2025, allowing 139.5 rushing yards per game. Banks projects as an elite space-eater capable of stabilizing the interior.
No. 104: Drew Allar — QB, Penn State
The Jets acquired Geno Smith this offseason as a cheap option to serve as a bridge quarterback for the future. However, a long-term choice isn’t on the roster just yet. The Justin Fields experiment was a short one, resulting in the lowest total passing yards in the NFL last season. It’s desperation time for New York; the draft is the perfect place for it, but the 2026 draft class brings very few options.
With Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson off the board in the fourth round, the Jets can take a flyer on former Penn State QB Drew Allar. Allar is considered to have the strongest arm in the class, totaling 1,100 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions, playing just six games before suffering a broken ankle. Adding a developmental like Allar to a room with a veteran option in Smith gives the Jets not only the chance to hold a competition, but also a room to potentially find a franchise-altering quarterback.
No. 140: Febechi Nwaiwu — G, Oklahoma
Febechi Nwaiwu is considered a “perfect fit” for the Jets at pick No. 140 primarily because he offers elite pass protection and multi-position versatility, two critical needs for a team looking to stabilize its interior depth behind established starters.
Nwaiwu was statistically one of the most effective pass blockers in college football last year, not allowing a single sack on 505 pass-blocking snaps in 2025. He earned a 91.6 PFF pass-blocking grade, ranking 3rd among all qualified Power Four guards.
No. 179: Cage Casey — G, Boise State
Why not add even more support for your quarterback? Cage Casey provides the Jets with swing-tackle flexibility and a higher athletic ceiling than Nwaiwu, rounding out an interior rebuild with two different stylistic profiles.
While Febechi Nwaiwu is a pure interior prospect who recently added center to his resume, Casey was a 41-game starter at left tackle for Boise State. The Jets currently have the third-fewest dollars devoted to their offensive line in 2026, and with starters like Alijah Vera-Tucker hitting free agency, double-dipping on Day 3 is a cost-effective way to find two potential starters for the price of one veteran contract.
No. 228: Lorenzo Styles Jr — CB, Ohio State
It’s time to think outside the box, selecting a guy like Lorenzo Styles Jr. Styles took the 2026 NFL Combine by storm, posting numbers that ranked him as one of the most athletic defensive backs ever tested. The former Ohio State secondary member posted the fastest time at the 2026 combine and the fastest by a safety since at least 2003. His 1.49-second 10-yard split and 39-inch vertical jump highlight the “twitchy” athleticism that NFL coaches covet for sub-package roles. Styles will serve as a developmental project, with versatility to play all around the secondary.
No. 242: Deven Eastern — DT, Minnesota
Deven Eastern has been acclaimed as one of the best “late-round” sleepers in the 2026 NFL draft. Standing 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, Eastern is a “bruiser” who provides the massive frame the Jets need to bolster a run defense that ranked in the bottom five last season. At pick 242, Eastern is a “no-risk” selection. If he develops, he becomes a valuable rotational piece behind veterans like David Onyemata and T’Vondre Sweat.
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