Jets’ 2026 NFL Mock Draft for all 9 picks

The New York Jets find themselves in an interesting position ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft after nearly blowing it all up in 2025. The Gang Green have now fully transitioned into the Aaron Glenn era ahead of his second year at the helm.

Jets fans were not pleased with their midseason trades of Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, but they put the team in a juicy position entering the 2026 NFL Draft. New York has nine selections, including four in the first two rounds. Darren Mougey is one of five general managers who currently own multiple picks in the first round.

The Jets’ pitiful 2025 season resulted in the No. 2 pick, marking their fourth top-10 selection in the last six years. They also own the Colts’ No. 16 selection from the Gardner trade.

New York has continued its trade activity throughout the offseason, acquiring defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat for Jermaine Johnson II and reuniting with former second-round draft selection Geno Smith. They are still rumored to be interested in making more moves, potentially to move up from No. 16.

Mougey’s phone will certainly be active on draft night, but until he makes another move, the Jets are locked into their nine 2026 NFL Draft selections. Let’s get into it.

Round 1, Pick 2: EDGE Arvell Reese, Ohio State

While many drafts tend to have a consensus No. 2 prospect, some opinions have varied in the 2026 class. However, Ohio State edge-rusher Arvell Reese has emerged as the favorite to become the second overall pick for a bevy of reasons.

The Jets would love a quarterback, but the shallow class leaves little to get excited for after the Las Vegas Raiders take Fernando Mendoza first overall. That leaves the Jets to address their second-biggest need at edge-rusher after ending the 2025 season with the second-fewest sacks in the league.

Rumors that the Jets might switch to a 3-4 defense in 2026 gained credence when the team acquired Sweat from the Tennessee Titans to beef up its interior. However, trading Johnson leaves them thin at an already weak position, even after adding Joseph Ossai in free agency. Reese, who broke out with 69 tackles and 6.5 sacks for Ohio State in 2025, has a high athletic ceiling and would give New York a huge speed boost on the exterior.

Round 1, Pick 16: WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State

The Jets targeting a receiver with their second first-round pick is one of the worst-kept secrets of the 2026 NFL Draft. The only question is whether they trade up or not, but for the sake of this mock, they remain at No. 16 and select Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson.

Once viewed as the No. 1 receiver of the class, Tyson has slipped a few spots after injuries cut his 2025 season short and led to a quiet pre-draft process. Scouts are still high on the 6-foot-2 athletic and physical pass-catcher, who should be an immediate contributor for any team out of the gates.

New York could go with USC’s Makai Lemon, but it needs someone capable of leading its receiving corps right away. Lemon’s physical limitations might lead to a slow start to his rookie season, making Tyson a better bet for a Jets offense desperate for playmakers in the passing game.

Round 2, Pick 33: CB Brandon Cisse, South Carolina

The Jets added Chicago Bears breakout starter Nahshon Wright to their solid cornerback rotation in free agency, but there is still a Sauce Gardner-sized hole waiting to be filled. Replacing arguably the best cornerback in the league is highly improbable, but the recent trade could convince Mougey to target another athletic defensive back with one of his early picks.

The defensive-minded Aaron Glenn would love to have either Mansoor Delane or Jermod McCoy, but with both trending as top-10 selections, the Jets would need to move up from No. 16. If that venture fails, South Carolina’s Brandon Cisse would be a solid consolation at No. 33.

Cisse wrapped up his three-year college football career with 65 tackles, two interceptions, 10 pass breakups and one forced fumble with NC State and South Carolina. Cisse’s production slipped a bit in 2025, but his raw athleticism and physical measurements give him an All-Pro ceiling in the right system. There would be no better head coach for him to begin his career with than Glenn.

Round 2, Pick 44: LB Anthony Hill Jr., Texas

New York added longtime New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis in free agency, but it still needs help at linebacker, even with the projected systematic changes. The Jets discovered a potential gem in the 2025 draft with Kiko Mauigoa, but a 37-year-old Davis is not enough to save a group that ranked 30th against the run last season.

Texas’ Anthony Hill Jr. was a preseason projected first-rounder, but a subpar junior season caused him to fall into the Day Two range. Hill is still one of the top defensive playmakers of the 2026 NFL Draft after ending his three-year career at Texas with 17 sacks, eight forced fumbles and three interceptions.

Hill’s physicality and speed in the middle still give him Pro Bowl potential, and he has the potential to immediately be an every-down linebacker. Aaron Glenn had a lot of success with similar players, such as Alex Anzalone and Malcolm Rodriguez, with the Detroit Lions.

Round 4, Pick 103: QB Carson Beck, Miami

The Jets will almost certainly use one of their nine picks in the 2026 NFL Draft on a rookie quarterback. Mougey appears to be positioning the team to draft its true franchise signal-caller in 2027, but he has little to lose by taking a Day Three shot on an experienced leader like Miami’s Carson Beck.

Despite leading Miami to the 2026 National Championship Game, Beck still seems to be behind fellow mid-round prospects Ty Simpson, Drew Allar and Garrett Nussmeier. The Jets do not have a third-round pick, and their recent trade for Geno Smith suggests they will not be spending a second-rounder on any of the middling prospects in a weak class. Plunging on Beck in the fourth round offers better value.

While fans love dragging Beck’s name through the mud on social media, he has surpassed 3,400 passing yards and 24 touchdowns in three consecutive seasons. Beck is coming off a career-high 30-touchdown season with the Hurricanes in 2025 while completing 72.4 percent of his passes.

Round 4, Pick 140: WR Brenen Thompson, Mississippi State

Mougey is going to target a home-run hitter with his first wide receiver pick, allowing him to take a bigger risk in the later rounds. If the Jets leave Pittsburgh with multiple receivers, expect them to target a boom-or-bust-type player on Day Three. Mississippi State deep threat Brenen Thompson fits the bill.

Thompson’s 5-foot-9, 170-pound frame gives him a hard ceiling at the next level, but he is one of the most dangerous players in the class out in space. Thompson showed off his speed at the Combine with a 4.26-second 40-yard dash, the fastest time among all participants. He supplemented that performance with an elite 1.54-second 10-yard split.

The Jets received encouraging production from Adonai Mitchell down the stretch of a lost 2025 season, but the former draft bust has yet to produce meaningful numbers on a non-losing team. Adding a dynamic downfield threat like Thompson would open up the field for Garrett Wilson, Mitchell and whoever New York ends up with in the first round.

Round 5, Pick 179: DT Zane Durant, Penn State

The Jets made defensive line a clear priority early in the offseason, yet could still benefit from adding more depth late in the 2026 NFL Draft. New York’s rumored plan to adopt a 3-4 defense would require more rotational pieces behind T’Vondre Sweat, Harrison Phillips and David Onyemata in the trenches.

Penn State’s Zane Durant turned himself into one of the most intriguing Day Three prospects at the Combine, where he opened eyes with an absurd 4.75-second 40-yard dash and 33.5-inch vertical jump. Durant’s Combine results were famously better than those of Patrick Mahomes and Dak Prescott, while closely aligning with his NBA namesake, Kevin Durant.

Durant did not perform like an NFL prospect with the Nittany Lions, but his raw athleticism has coaches drooling over his potential. That has Aaron Glenn written all over it. If Durant is still on the board at 179, it could be an easy call for Mougey and Glenn.

Round 7, Pick 228: TE Matthew Hiber, SMU

While most of the Jets’ 2026 offseason focus has been on their defense, they also notably hired former Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich as Aaron Glenn’s new offensive coordinator. Reich promised changes to New York’s dismal offense, which could include more two-tight-end sets, which he had a lot of success with on the Colts.

Reich had a lot of success with athletic tight ends in Indianapolis, such as Eric Ebron, Jack Doyle and Mo Alie-Cox. The 2026 NFL Draft class is void of any generational tight end prospects, but it is full of athletic, high-upside pass-catching specialists like SMU’s Matthew Hibner.

Hiber began his career at Michigan, where he struggled to find the field behind Colston Loveland, AJ Barner and Marlin Klein. He broke through late in his career with the Mustangs, where his athleticism popped in a two-tight-end system. Hibner will likely never be an every-down starting tight end, but his speed can give linebackers trouble, and he is more than comfortable lining up in the slot.

Round 7, Pick 242: OT Nolan Rucci, Penn State

Like most teams around the league, the Jets’ final pick in the 2026 NFL Draft will be a special-teams flier. The team would benefit most from adding depth to its offensive line, where Penn State product Nolan Rucci presents high-upside Day Three value.

As a former five-star recruit, Rucci has a high upside that he simply failed to reach for most of his college football career. After riding the bench at Wisconsin, he finally broke through as a full-time starter with the Nittany Lions, where he became the 17th-highest-rated offensive lineman in the Big Ten on Pro Football Focus.

Rucci’s motionless career at Iowa will prevent him from being anything more than a Day Three prospect, but he presents an enticing 6-foot-8 frame that gives him a solid foundation to build on. Rucci will begin his NFL career on special teams, but would also be a solid backup to tackles Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou.

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