With one of the youngest rosters in the NFL, the New York Jets have plenty of intriguing breakout candidates entering the 2026 season.

These three players, though, should be expected to take the largest leaps.

WR Adonai Mitchell

When the Jets take the field in Nashville for their season opener, Adonai Mitchell will still be only 23 years old, just two years removed from being a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft. His 4.34 speed hasn’t gone anywhere, either.

Production-wise, Mitchell has been a disappointment through two NFL seasons. He’s caught less than half of his career targets (56 of 129, 43.4%) for 765 yards and just two touchdowns.

Mitchell’s initial team, the Indianapolis Colts, put him in the doghouse midway through his second season after a bone-headed fumble at the goal line, caused by an early celebration. Mitchell was traded to New York in the Sauce Gardner deal before ever reaching the end zone as a Colt.

In eight games with the Jets, Mitchell’s numbers did not jump off the page, despite getting the chance to be New York’s No. 1 option due to various injuries. He caught 24 of 58 targets (41.4%) for 301 yards and two touchdowns.

However, Mitchell’s underlying metrics scream untapped potential.

Per ESPN Analytics, Mitchell has an “Open Score” of 80 (out of a maximum of 100) over the past two seasons. It places him seventh-best among qualified wide receivers, trailing the star-studded lineup of Chris Olave (81), Zay Flowers (82), Stefon Diggs (84), A.J. Brown (84), Tyreek Hill (84), and Malik Nabers (90).

Mitchell’s film is littered with plays in which he created separation for a potential deep touchdown, but either received an inaccurate throw or was not targeted at all. This happened in both Indianapolis and New York. It’s hardly surprising, given that his career quarterback rotation includes the likes of Anthony Richardson, Joe Flacco, Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor, and Brady Cook.

It stands to reason that Mitchell could become a quality deep threat if he simply receives adequate quarterbacking. He does have to work on his drops, but even if he continues dropping passes at the same rate, he should still be one of the better deep threats in the NFL. If even just half of his potential deep touchdowns were capitalized upon by the quarterback, Mitchell could have upwards of six to seven deep touchdowns in his career already.

It all comes down to whether Geno Smith can be the deep passer Mitchell has never had.

RT Armand Membou

Armand Membou hit the ground running in his rookie season. As a 21-year-old Week 1 starter, he held his own against T.J. Watt in the Jets’ season opener, and that was a sign of things to come.

Membou earned a 72.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking 14th among qualified right tackles. That’s one heck of a springboard for him to jump from. We’re talking about a 21-year-old with a first-round pedigree and all-world athleticism (9.82 Relative Athletic Score). If this guy was already capable of being a slightly above-average starter in Year 1, the sky is the limit moving forward.

Highly drafted offensive linemen often take major leaps in their second seasons. Look no further than the most legendary right tackle of this generation, Lane Johnson. In his 2013 rookie season, Johnson posted a very similar 73.5 overall grade at PFF, ranking 12th among right tackles. In 2014, he skyrocketed to 85.4, placing first at the position.

Membou is capable of a similar leap. He’s that talented, from both a physical and technical standpoint.

It would be a stretch to say that the Jets expect Membou to be the league’s best right tackle this season, but it’s certainly a possible outcome for the gifted lineman. More likely, though, the Jets would love to see him finish as one of the league’s top five to eight right tackles. From there, another leap could be in store in his third season.

CB Azareye’h Thomas

Many analysts considered Azareye’h Thomas to be a big-time steal for the Jets when they took him in the third round of the 2025 draft. New York landed him with the 73rd overall pick, but he was the consensus No. 52 overall prospect on NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board.

Thomas played sparingly in his rookie year, logging just five starts across 12 appearances before a season-ending shoulder injury. He finished with 311 defensive snaps.

That was all Thomas needed, though, to make his mark. Despite playing just 311 defensive snaps, Thomas recorded seven passes defended; project that out to 1,000 snaps, and Thomas was on pace for more than 22 passes defended, a mark that would lead the NFL in most seasons (the top mark was 19 in 2025).

Thomas had his ups and downs, but his peaks were high, including his first career start in Cincinnati, where he was tossed into the fire due to Sauce Gardner’s injury and logged plenty of quality reps against the duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

The Jets expect Thomas to compete for a starting cornerback spot in training camp. Still only 21 years old after showing promising flashes in his rookie year, Thomas is on a trajectory to not only win a starting spot in the Jets’ defense, but establish himself as one of the league’s better starting corners.