NY Jets land shockingly high on ESPN’s NFL roster ranking

Where does the New York Jets’ roster rank across the NFL? Extremely high, per one ESPN analyst

With the NFL draft approaching, now is a good time to see how the rosters around the league stack up.

ESPN’s Mike Clay releases a roster ranking for every NFL team each season. Clay goes through each team position by position, rates each position group, and stacks up all 32 rosters based on their ratings across all positions. Clay released his first version for 2024 last month but released an updated version today.

So where do the Jets stand? According to Clay, very high.

Clay ranked the Jets’ roster as the second-best in the NFL, including the best in the AFC. Only the San Francisco 49ers sit above the Jets on his list.

2024 NFL Unit Grades – Pre-Draft Edition pic.twitter.com/JbFRnTQfmJ

— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) April 23, 2024

The Jets’ offensive roster ranked second while the Jets’ defensive roster ranked fifth. The 49ers were the only other team to rank top-five in both categories.

Leading the way for the Jets is their cornerback group, which Clay ranked as the best in the NFL. After that, Clay’s top-ranked groups for the Jets are linebacker (4th), running back (5th), quarterback (5th), offensive line (7th), and edge rushers (9th). It’s pleasantly surprising to see the Jets’ offensive line in the top 10 even with three new starters.

However, the most surprising ranking may be the Jets’ interior defensive line ranking 20th. Quinnen Williams is one of the best defenders in the NFL but the depth behind him leaves a lot to be desired.

The interior defensive line is one of only three position groups that Clay rated as a weakness for the Jets. Clay has the Jets’ safeties ranked 26th and their tight ends ranked 24th.

In addition to his unit rankings, Clay gives fantasy projections for individual players and ranks them accordingly. Let’s see how the Jets stack up.

• Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers (9th)
• Running back: Breece Hall (2nd)
• Wide receiver: Garrett Wilson (9th), Mike Williams (38th)
• Tight end: Tyler Conklin (17th)
• Defensive tackle: Quinnen Williams (10th)
• Edge rusher: Haason Reddick (40th), Jermaine Johnson (42nd)
• Linebacker: Quincy Williams (14th), C.J. Mosley (20th)
• Cornerback: D.J. Reed (26th), Sauce Gardner (51st), Michael Carter II (64th)
• Safety: Tony Adams (43rd), Chuck Clark (45th)

Clay has high expectations for the Jets’ core offensive trio. Rodgers, Hall, and Wilson rank in the top 10 at their positions. On the defensive side, we see why fantasy projections cannot be used as a method for ranking defensive players.

The verdict is clear: Expectations are high for the Jets in 2024. The hype is down after last season’s disappointment, but the team is undoubtedly better on paper, as shown by Clay’s rankings. Now it’s up to the Jets to show they’re a great team on the field too.