With their latest win over the Atlanta Falcons, the New York Jets dropped from fourth to seventh in the projected 2026 NFL draft order.

While the Jets’ third win in five games featured plenty of encouraging flashes from the team’s young players, the ensuing draft fall has stirred up controversy amongst the fan base. You’ve got two factions going head-to-head: Those fed up with the team’s inability to successfully lose out for the top pick, and those excited about the franchise’s progress under first-year coach Aaron Glenn.

Regardless of which side you fall on, one thing is for certain: The Jets’ quest for a franchise quarterback will certainly become a little bit tougher with each spot they fall down the draft board. That reality is reflected by their updated projection in the latest consensus mock draft at NFL Mock Draft Database.

While they were still in the fourth slot, the Jets were expected to land Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, while they also could have chosen Alabama signal-caller Ty Simpson. Today, though, the consensus expects New York to pivot away from the quarterback position with the seventh overall pick.

Here are the top 10 picks of the latest consensus mock draft.

  1. Tennessee Titans: Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State (63% of picks)
  2. New York Giants: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State (50%)
  3. New Orleans Saints: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana (40%)
  4. Las Vegas Raiders: Dante Moore, QB, Oregon (50%)
  5. Cleveland Browns: Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama (14%)
  6. Washington Commanders: Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn (33%)
  7. New York Jets: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State (29%)
  8. Arizona Cardinals: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah (63%)
  9. Los Angeles Rams: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami FL (25%)
  10. Cincinnati Bengals: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU (33%)

On the website’s consensus big board, there are three quarterbacks ranked among the top 10 overall prospects: Fernando Mendoza (No. 3), Dante Moore (No. 4), and Ty Simpson (No. 6). In this mock, all three are off the board when New York comes onto the clock at No. 7.

After the top three prospects, there is currently a large gap on the big board. Twenty-two spots separate Simpson and the fourth-ranked quarterback, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, who holds the No. 28 overall spot. After Sellers, it’s another 16 spots until you get to the consensus QB5, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier (No. 44).

If they fall in love with one of those prospects, the Jets could still take them with the seventh pick; there is also plenty of time for prospects to rise and fall throughout the draft process. For now, the consensus expects them to take the best player available instead of reaching for a quarterback. That leaves them with Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, the consensus No. 7 overall prospect, making him a fair value for the Jets in their current slot.

Tyson is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound redshirt junior who transferred to Arizona State from Colorado after the 2022 season. After catching no passes in his first season with the Sun Devils, Tyson elevated to the school’s No. 1 wide receiver role in 2024, catching 75 of 113 targets for 1,098 yards and 10 touchdowns (12 games). In nine games this season, Tyson has caught 61 of 97 targets for 711 yards and eight touchdowns, dropping just one pass.

The Jets are in desperate need of wide receiver talent beyond Garrett Wilson. Despite missing five games this year, Wilson still leads the Jets with 395 receiving yards, more than double the closest wide receiver on the team. Wilson is the only wideout under contract with the team in 2026 who has caught for at least 300 yards in an NFL season.

Recently, the Jets have found some optimism at the wide receiver position in the form of Adonai Mitchell and John Metchie III, two former second-round picks who arrived in New York through mid-season trades. Over the last three weeks (with Wilson sidelined), Mitchell and Metchie have combined for 283 receiving yards (10th among wide receiver duos) and three receiving touchdowns (tied for fifth).

Mitchell, in particular, has made a strong case to land a key role in the Jets’ 2026 starting offense. Still only 23 years old after being chosen in the second round of the 2024 draft, Mitchell caught eight passes for 102 yards and a touchdown in New York’s recent victory. The Jets have Mitchell under contract through the 2027 season.

While the Jets hope that Mitchell and Metchie continue flashing down the stretch, they will still be eager to find as much wide receiver help as possible in the 2026 offseason. As a franchise that has not ranked higher than 23rd in points per game since 2015, the Jets must infuse their offense with as much talent and depth as possible.

With nearly $100 million in cap space and four picks within the first two rounds of the draft, the Jets are almost certain to make a premium investment at the wide receiver position in 2026. Perhaps Tyson will be their guy.

Could the Jets walk into the 2026 season opener with a starting wide receiver trio of Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, and Jordyn Tyson?

Or would the franchise be remiss to walk out of the 2026 draft without a first-round quarterback?

We’ll debate that question endlessly over the next 139 days.