If you want to know why an organization hasn’t made the playoffs in 14 seasons, the first thing to check is their draft history. Chances are, they missed on a plethora of picks.
That is exactly what has happened to the New York Jets over the last 14 years.
Missed draft picks, poor development, and bad roster management have left New York floundering for answers as they enter the 2025 draft process.
Before we kick things off in Green Bay, though, it’s time to look at the worst of the worst when it comes to New York’s more recent picks and misses in past drafts.
Jets’ Top 10 Draft Busts
10. WR Elijah Moore (2021 – Rd 2, Pick 34)
Kicking off our list is a receiver who got angry that he was out-touched by Garrett Wilson and then was promptly shipped to Cleveland. That’s all you need to know about Moore’s run in New York.
9. TE Jeremy Ruckert (2022 – Rd 3, Pick 101)
While the 2022 draft class is one of the best the Jets have ever selected, Ruckert is easily the worst pick of the litter. From him not being a quality pass catcher over his three-year run to being one of the worst blockers at the position, this selection has been a net negative for the Jets.
8. S Jamal Adams (2017 – Rd 1, Pick 6)
Adams is both one of the Jets’ best and worst picks of the past decade. His All-Pro season in 2019 was overshadowed by the fact he wanted out of New York because of the team’s consistent losing. He promptly forced his way out and quickly regressed into a shell of his former self.
Yikes.
7. QB Christian Hackenberg (2016 – Rd 2, Pick 51)
All you need to know about Hackenberg is that in his first training camp, he was so inaccurate that he hit a reporter on the sideline with a ball.
Yep.
6. OT Mekhi Becton (2020 – Rd 1, Pick 11)
When a failed first-round pick goes to another team, changes his position, and instantly uses that new role to win the Super Bowl, you know things have been bad. Good for Becton to save his career. Bad look for the Jets.
5. QB Sam Darnold (2018 – Rd 1, Pick 3)
Darnold is the one player on this list that you kind of feel for. He was never given a quality team during his time with the Jets and was kicked to the curb right before the team got talent at places he was desperate for.
Still a bust, but one we all blame on the franchise.
4. WR Denzel Mims (2020 – Rd 2, Pick 59)
Much like Moore, Mims was brought in to help fix the team’s passing offense but never carved out a role for himself. He failed to stick around at three more NFL stops and is now a member of the UFL.
3. WR Devin Smith (2015 – Rd 2, Pick 37)
Smith never made the kind of impact a team with an early second-round pick is looking for. He began New York’s long-standing failings at the position.
2. LB Darron Lee (2016 – Rd 1, Pick 20)
In 2016, the Jets needed a linebacker who could cover Rob Gronkowski. They tabbed Lee, who was torched in both phases for three seasons until getting dumped for a sixth-round pick. An underrated bust in Jets history, Lee was out of the NFL before he turned 27.
1. QB Zach Wilson (2021 – Rd 1, Pick 2)
There’s really no other choice here. Whether it was bad coaching or poor play, Wilson has become the poster child for massive draft busts over the last decade and will continue to be moving forward.
