The NY Jets’ positions of need are aplenty.
While it is never wise to draft solely based on need, it is still a factor that must be considered.
Let’s rank the Jets’ positions of need from most to least important as they enter the 2025 NFL draft. The idea is to use this list as a tiebreaker if the Jets have two players graded equally across two different positions (throughout all seven rounds).
This list is not intended to merely rank the positions on the Jets’ roster from best to worst. It accounts for both the Jets’ needs and league-wide positional value to accurately convey how heavily the Jets should prioritize each position in the draft.
Value Rating: 0/5
12. Kicker/punter
The Jets have a major need at kicker. A Greg Zuerlein/Anders Carlson competition won’t cut it.
However, as we recently discussed, drafting a kicker is a waste of resources. There is no evidence that a drafted kicker is more likely to succeed than an undrafted one.
If the Jets want to add a young specialist to push Zuerlein and Carlson – or even Thomas Morstead – they should wait until after the draft.
Value Rating: 1/5
11. Linebacker
Linebacker isn’t a non-need for the Jets. Quincy Williams’ contract will expire after the 2025 season. They need to think ahead.
Still, they’re in a better spot here than at most other positions, and it is one of the least valuable positions, anyway. Jamien Sherwood is locked up for the long haul. Williams is in place for one more season of high-level production. The Jets can worry about filling Williams’ shoes next year. There are bigger fish to fry at the moment.
10. Interior offensive line
This may be the strongest position on the roster. New York has three starters solidified, and they even have a quality backup in Josh Myers.
The Jets do have long-term concerns to think about. John Simpson and Alijah Vera-Tucker are due to become free agents. Darren Mougey should strongly consider extending both of them before the next offseason.
In the meantime, the Jets are in a great spot here, but you can never have enough depth on the offensive line. Building a young pipeline would be valuable to help New York prepare for potential losses or injuries in the future.
Value Rating: 2/5
9. Running back
Assets-wise, the Jets are stocked up at running back. Their starter is a 23-year-old second-round pick. He is backed up by two day-three picks from last year’s draft, who each showed promise in their limited roles.
Production-wise, though, this is one of the weaker units in the league. In 2024, the Jets ranked 26th in rushing efficiency (per DVOA) despite ranking 12th in PFF’s run-blocking grade. This differential points to the running backs’ negative impact.
This was mainly the fault of Breece Hall, who was subpar in 2024. While Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis showed flashes, neither player received enough opportunities to be considered sure things.
Plus, Hall is due to become a free agent after the season. Are the Jets going to extend him long-term after the season? As of right now, it seems unlikely that they would, especially considering this regime did not draft him. New York may be looking for a new RB1 in 2026.
Among the NY Jets’ positions of need, running back is one of the least necessary to address since the unit is loaded with youth and potential. However, the Jets have ample room to improve it.
Nonetheless, it is still arguably the least valuable offensive or defensive position in the sport, which is why it places ninth on this list despite the concerns.
8. Cornerback
The Jets are in a pretty good spot at cornerback, with Sauce Gardner, Brandon Stephens, and Michael Carter II all signed for at least two more seasons (once Gardner’s fifth-year option is assuredly picked up).
However, Gardner’s contract talks remain up in the air. The Jets will likely get that done at some point, but it is always good to be prepared for the worst and have a young pipeline ready.
Stephens will be a Jet for at least two seasons, although his spotty track record could have the Jets looking for competition by next offseason unless he improves significantly.
Carter is a great player who should stick in New York for the duration of his three-year extension. He is coming off an injury-riddled down year, though, and this regime did not sign him. The Jets have a window to release Carter after this season, so that could be on the table if he has a poor year.
Cornerback is one of the game’s most important positions. The Jets are in better shape here than at running back, but its premium value makes it a greater priority.
Value rating: 3/5
7. Safety
Safety is a less valuable position than cornerback, but the Jets are in much worse shape here, putting it higher on the list.
The Jets do not have any safeties under contract for the 2026 season. That tells you all there is to know.
Andre Cisco is a solid value pickup on a one-year deal. Tony Adams is facing a prove-it year after being retained on a restricted free agent tender.
For the short term, the Jets have a passable starting duo, but it can be significantly upgraded. Over the long term, the Jets have nothing.
This is a major long-term need. Safety just isn’t as important as the positions ranked above it on this list. You can work around a lack of talent at the safety position, unlike others on this list.
6. Tight end
Similar to safety, tight end is a non-premium position where the Jets are in dire need of help, which lands it in the middle tier of this list.
The Jets are in an even worse spot at tight end than safety. Whereas they at least have two passable starting safeties for 2025, they do not have a single starter-caliber player at tight end. This issue is exacerbated by the projected importance of tight ends in their scheme.
Regardless, the Jets’ desperation should not cause them to lose sight of positional value. Based on league-wide salary cap trends, tight end is the game’s second-least valuable position, only slightly ahead of running back.
Like safety, you can work around deficiencies at tight end. In fact, it may be the easiest weakness to work around in the sport, and by a wide margin, even compared to safety.
You must have two safeties who can play nearly every snap. There is far more freedom for the usage of tight ends. In fact, you never have to place a tight end on the field at all. Obviously, no team will run 10 personnel (0 TE) all game, but teams have the flexibility to minimize their reliance on multi-tight-end packages or deprioritize the tight ends in the route concepts. Tight ends can be hidden if needed; most other positions can never be hidden.
It is not ideal to have to do these things, especially for the Justin Fields-led Jets. Quality tight ends add versatility and unpredictability to the offense. But it is a more manageable obstacle than not having a quality starter at positions you absolutely need at all times, such as right tackle or wide receiver.
The Jets’ tight end unit is so weak that it has to be placed this high on the list. Nonetheless, due to the position’s limitations from a value perspective, it is difficult to place it any higher when the Jets still have major holes at plenty of the game’s most important positions.
Value rating: 4/5
5. Defensive tackle
Quinnen Williams provides enough value on his own to make this position group more solidified than most on the Jets’ roster.
However, few other positions on the roster have weaker depth beyond the No. 1 player.
A supporting cast of Derrick Nnadi, Byron Cowart, Leonard Taylor III, Jay Tufele, and Phidarian Mathis is asking too much of Williams. None of these players are good enough to be considered roster locks, let alone start.
Once a position dedicated to run-stuffing, defensive tackle has become a premium position with the emergence of so many game-changing pass rushers over the past decade-plus. It carries the third-largest franchise tag value, trailing only linebackers (i.e. edge rushers) and quarterbacks.
With an intense blend of need and positional value, defensive tackle is a priority for New York.
4. Edge rusher
Between Will McDonald’s woeful run defense and Jermaine Johnson’s Achilles recovery, the Jets hardly have a starting edge duo to feel good about.
The depth behind them is comprised of Eric Watts, Micheal Clemons, Rashad Weaver, and Braiden McGregor. None of these players have proven enough to be considered 53-man-roster locks.
Some would argue that EDGE is the second-most important position in the game. NFL teams seem to agree based on the money they allocate to the position. In terms of total guaranteed money, five of the 11 largest non-quarterback contracts belong to edge rushers, including the top two (Myles Garrett and Nick Bosa).
When you are this thin at such a valuable position, it does not matter that you spent two of your last three first-round picks on it. After all, the current regime wasn’t responsible for those selections.
Do not be surprised if the Jets spend more draft capital on this position than many expect.
Value rating: 5/5
3. Offensive tackle
With four out of the five offensive line spots filled, the Jets aren’t as desperate for offensive line help as usual. That does not diminish the importance of the one remaining hole.
The weakest link of an offensive line can make the whole less than the sum of its parts. Shaky options at right tackle put the Jets in danger of wasting a mostly impressive offensive line due to one gaping hole.
Even if the offensive line in general is not a dire need, the potential value of selecting a right tackle is extremely enticing for the Jets. They have a chance to round out a complete five-man unit that can anchor the franchise for years to come. This is a luxury the organization has spent decades dreaming of. It would completely alter their team-building trajectory, making everything else so much easier.
2. Wide receiver
I went back and forth between offensive tackle and wide receiver for this spot. Ultimately, I deemed the positional value similar, while wide receiver is the Jets’ weaker position, giving it the slight nod.
As important as the offensive line is, the NFL is becoming a receiver-driven league. The ball is getting out faster and faster each year, which diminishes the value of pass protection and increases the value of playmakers. It is no coincidence that eight of the league’s 20 largest contracts in terms of total guarantees belong to wide receivers, compared to just two offensive linemen in the same group.
The tackle-versus-receiver debate was the top storyline of the 2021 NFL draft, when Bengals fans debated whether to protect Joe Burrow with Penei Sewell or to give him an elite weapon in Ja’Marr Chase. Popular internet memes depicted Burrow getting shellacked while trying to throw to Chase, whereas he would have success throwing to anybody if Sewell kept him upright.
As it turns out, both sides of the argument were correct. Cincinnati took Chase, and although Burrow has dealt with poor protection to this day, it has not stopped him and Chase from racking up records and an AFC title. Meanwhile, Sewell went to Detroit, where he helped turn the Lions into a juggernaut by anchoring one of the best offensive lines in football.
The Jets have one of the weakest wide receiver units in the NFL. Garrett Wilson has a limitless ceiling but is really only a top 15-to-20-ish wide receiver based on his performance to date. After that, the Jets have two WR3-type players in Josh Reynolds and Allen Lazard (perhaps a generous label for Lazard without Aaron Rodgers). The rest of the unit features players who will be fighting for roster spots.
It is just as difficult to work around a lack of wide receiver talent as it is to work around a lack of pass protection. Having all day to throw will not matter if nobody is open, the same way it won’t matter if everyone is open when the pocket collapses in 1.5 seconds.
The Jets are much stronger on the offensive line than at wide receiver. If they have to decide between an equally-graded offensive tackle and wide receiver, the wide receiver should take priority. It is only by a small margin, though, which is why these two positions are ranked back-to-back in the same tier.
This debate likely will not occur for New York in the first round, anyway. The wide receiver class lacks blue chips at the top, whereas there are two touted tackle prospects who could fall to No. 7. Whether it is Armand Membou or Will Campbell, both are too far ahead of the clear-cut WR1 (sans Travis Hunter), Tetairoa McMillan, as prospects for the Jets to lean toward McMillan due to need.
If the Jets were considering better wide receiver prospects and/or lesser tackle prospects at No. 7, there would be more chatter about them taking a wide receiver. However, the gap between their tackle and wide receiver needs is too small to push the Jets toward taking a lesser wide receiver prospect over a much better tackle prospect.
But if the Jets pass on both tackle and wide receiver in the first round, this debate could get more interesting in the second round and beyond. From there, they could face debates between much more closely-ranked prospects, in which case, it would make sense if they leaned toward the wide receiver.
1. Quarterback
Unfortunately, this is one of the weaker quarterback classes in years, so the Jets will not be able to address the position early without drastically reaching. That does not change the fact that quarterback remains the Jets’ top need.
The odds of Justin Fields being the Jets’ franchise quarterback are very low. In one year, they will likely find themselves pining for one of the top quarterbacks in what should be a much stronger class.
While the Jets will not find their surefire franchise quarterback in the 2025 draft, they should still prioritize the position. If they love a quarterback prospect at any point of the draft beyond the first round, he should be valued above similarly graded prospects at other positions.
Absolutely nothing matters in this league without a quarterback. So, if there is someone who the Jets believe has even the slightest chance of becoming “the guy,” they should bring him in. Fields reduces the Jets’ desperation to reach for a quarterback, but he certainly does not preclude them from taking one at any point.
Final rankings
- QB (5)
- WR (5)
- OT (5)
- EDGE (4)
- DT (4)
- TE (3)
- S (3)
- CB (2)
- RB (2)
- IOL (1)
- LB (1)
- K/P (0)
