Sunday turned out to be a small win for the pro-tank segment of the New York Jets fan base, as Gang Green got a helpful nudge in the draft order following a 29-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Entering Week 16, New York sat at No. 5 in the draft order. The loss moved the Jets up to No. 4, and they still have a strong opportunity to climb into the top three Sunday with another loss and a few results elsewhere breaking their way.

Even with the move up the board, the big-picture projection remains largely unchanged. For the second straight week, Mock Draft Database’s consensus mock has the Jets bypassing a quarterback and selecting a defensive player with their top first-round pick.

Here is how the top 10 selections shake out in MDD’s most recent consensus projection as of December 27:

New York Giants: Ruben Bain Jr., EDGE, Florida (40% of picks)

Las Vegas Raiders: Dante Moore, QB, Oregon (59% of picks)

Cleveland Browns: Jordan Tyson, WR, Arizona State (31% of picks)

New York Jets: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State (27% of picks)

Tennessee Titans: Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State (31% of picks)

Arizona Cardinals: Spencer Fano, OL, Utah (33% of picks)

Washington Commanders: David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech (13% of picks)

New Orleans Saints: Makai Lemon, WR, USC (25% of picks)

Cincinnati Bengals: Peter Woods, DL, Clemson (29% of picks)

Kansas City Chiefs: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame (100% of picks)

A five-star standout out of Mill Creek High School in Hoschton, Georgia, Downs initially committed to Alabama and spent his first season in Tuscaloosa before making the move to Ohio State in the wake of Nick Saban’s retirement.

His production has since matched the hype. After a dominant 2024 campaign in which he impacted games on defense and in the return game, he earned unanimous All-American recognition. He then removed any doubt by doing it again this year, securing unanimous All-American honors for a second consecutive season.

In 13 games this season, Downs has logged 60 combo tackles (40 solo), while holding opposing quarterbacks to just a 50.5 passer rating when throwing in his direction. The talent is obvious, and he is certainly NFL-ready, but that’s also where the dilemma begins, because of the position he plays.

It is rare to see a safety prospect get taken in the top five. However, limiting Downs to just a “safety” undersells his impact within a team’s secondary.

Of his 619 snaps, Downs lined up in the box (214 snaps), at free safety (226), slot cornerback (134), and boundary corner (9).

With the Jets’ second first-round pick, acquired from the Indianapolis Colts at the NFL trade deadline and currently slotted at No. 18 overall, New York lands its quarterback in this consensus mock: Alabama’s Ty Simpson (21% of picks).

In his first season as a full-time starter, while being a redshirt junior, Simpson has completed 64.1% of his passing attempts for 3,500 yards and 28 touchdowns to five interceptions.

Simpson’s performance to open the college football playoffs against the Oklahoma Sooners boosted his draft outlook significantly. He finished the day 18-for-29 through the air, shrugging off four drops to pile up 232 yards and two touchdown passes without a turnover. The outing earned him an 80.3 QBR and an 82.9 grade from Pro Football Focus. More importantly, Simpson was the steady hand behind Alabama’s comeback, guiding the Crimson Tide back from a 17-0 hole to secure the win.

He answered questions about his downfield passing with his play, delivering a near-flawless performance on throws of 20 or more air yards. Simpson went 4-for-4 on deep attempts, totaling 120 yards and a touchdown, consistently putting the ball where only his receivers could make a play.

Prior to the game, Simpson’s adjusted completion rate on deep passes sat at 43.4%, ranking 71st out of 157 FBS quarterbacks and trailing potential 2026 peers Dante Moore (62.8%, second) and Fernando Mendoza (55.0%, ninth). After the win over Oklahoma, that number climbed to 47.4%, pushing him up to 42nd nationally and narrowing the gap in an area that has drawn the most scrutiny.

Deep accuracy has long been the primary concern in Simpson’s evaluations, which is why his performance against Oklahoma was crucial as he mulls whether to enter the 2026 NFL draft or return to Tuscaloosa for a second season as Alabama’s starting quarterback.

From Darren Mougey’s perspective, this consensus mock lays out a fascinating approach. New York takes the best player available with the No. 4 overall pick in Downs, then circles back to take their quarterback later in the first round at No. 18 in Simpson.

As the Jets remain starved for a quarterback but also need upgrades across the roster, this approach could prove highly rewarding.