D.J. Reed keeps rewarding the New York Jets, even if he hasn’t played for the team in over a year.

Like every organization around the league, the Jets can receive draft pick compensation for losing a high-profile free agent. Sometimes, the return can net a team as high a pick as a third-rounder.

For New York, losing D.J. Reed, former right tackle Morgan Moses, edge rusher Solomon Thomas, and tight end Tyler Conklin is expected to net the team four additional comp picks this draft cycle. Previously, though, the highest of those four picks was projected to be a pair of fifth-round picks.

That may no longer be the case, and it significantly shifts the Jets’ potential plans in April.

Jets’ comp pick upgrade

The Jets’ compensatory haul should be better than expected.

Over the Cap updated their projections for the Jets, and New York is now expected to receive a fourth-round pick for Reed, with the other projections accurate for Moses, Thomas, and Conklin.

These are the Jets’ projected compensatory picks for April’s draft:

  • Round 4: D.J. Reed (DET)
  • Round 5: Morgan Moses (NE)
  • Round 7: Solomon Thomas (DAL)
  • Round 7: Tyler Conklin (LAC)

Reed signed a three-year, $48 million contract with the Detroit Lions in the 2025 offseason. His $16 million salary is tied for 19th in the league among cornerbacks.

It won’t be good enough to improve the comp pick formula to a third round pick, but it adds a second fourth-round pick to the team in April.

That may be all it takes for the Jets to gear up for a big move.

Upgraded comp pick expands Jets’ options

New York already has a bevy of draft picks to greatly improve the roster. The Jets own the second, 16th, 33rd, and 44th overall picks in the first two rounds of the 2026 draft. By adding an expected fourth-rounder to the fray, the team will have two going into the draft.

What makes the upgrade so significant is that the Jets do not own a third-round pick, due to the 2024 Haason Reddick trade with Philadelphia.

With two fourth-rounders, New York may have the ammo necessary to get back into the third round. That could be the difference in netting a fifth player in the top 100 overall selections as opposed to just four.

This, of course, does not guarantee the Jets will fix all their issues in one draft. But it gives them multiple bites of the apple if the team chooses to go down that route.

After a three-win season in 2025, the goal for Gang Green this offseason should be maximizing their flexibility to improve the roster. If the organization wants to bring in high-profile free agents, it can go through that door. Should the team want to build a winner through the draft, they have the resources to accomplish that as well.

An additional fourth-round pick could do wonders for the team in a couple of months.