After Sunday’s embarrassing 48-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the New York Jets received a boost in the draft order

Entering the game, New York sat at No. 7 in the order, an uncomfortable place for a team in need of a quarterback. Sitting that far back likely would have put the top quarterbacks out of reach, forcing the Jets to either part with premium future draft capital to move up or once again push the quarterback decision into the distance, potentially all the way to the 2027 draft.

The loss, however, changed that math. After the defeat, New York rose to No. 5 in the order, with just three games left in the season.

Despite the climb, though, the outlook has not shifted as much as some might expect. In Mock Draft Database’s latest consensus mock draft, the Jets are not only projected to pass on a quarterback, but to make a somewhat surprising pick on the defensive side of the ball.

Here is how the top 10 selections shake out in MDD’s most recent consensus projection as of December 20:

New York Giants: Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State (86% of picks)

Las Vegas Raiders: Dante Moore, QB, Oregon (57%)

Tennessee Titans: Ruben Bain, EDGE rusher, Miami (55%)

Cleveland Browns: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State (33%)

New York Jets: Peter Woods, DL, Clemson (10%)

Arizona Cardinals: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah (44%)

New Orleans Saints: Keldric Falk, EDGE, Auburn (26%)

Washington Commanders: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State (22%)

Cincinnati Bengals: David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech (17%)

Los Angeles Rams: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU (23%)

Now in his third college season, Woods, a former five-star recruit, has appeared in 35 career games for Clemson, recording 84 total tackles (41 solo), 14.5 tackles for loss, and five sacks.

The 6-foot-3, 315-pound defensive lineman has been a steady presence this season, posting 10 solo tackles over 12 games to go along with two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. He has also generated 15 pressures and owns a strong 72.9 defensive grade from Pro Football Focus.

This would be a stunning choice, especially considering that, in this consensus projection, two top quarterback options remain on the board in Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza and Alabama’s Ty Simpson.

That is not a knock on Woods, who is a clearly talented player and earned first-team All-ACC honors. The Jets have reasons to feel good about Jowon Briggs’ emergence this season and Harrison Phillips’ consistent production, and while there is room to upgrade at defensive tackle, passing on a top quarterback in the top five under these circumstances would be difficult to justify.

With premium quarterback talent still available, opting for a defensive tackle at that spot would represent a significant risk for general manager Darren Mougey.

But folks, don’t panic yet — context matters. December mock drafts have been notoriously wrong for the Jets, and this one feels just as likely to miss the mark.