With two first-round draft selections in the first 16 overall picks, the New York Jets have plenty of flexibility to improve the team heading into 2026.
The hard part is identifying the right players to select with those picks.
New York’s roster is devoid of talent at almost every position. The Jets have an opportunity to find instant upgrades throughout the entire draft.
In his latest mock draft, ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. highlights the potential impact that New York could get out of its two top-16 selections in April’s draft.
No. 2: Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State
“Reese played off the ball before moving into an edge rusher role in 2025, and he has the traits to make an impact there in the NFL. I love his instincts and burst. (And if New York wanted him at linebacker, there’s a void there with Quincy Williams entering free agency.)”
In Kiper’s mock, Reese is the first non-quarterback off the board, with Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza going first overall to the Las Vegas Raiders.
No. 16: Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama
“Simpson has good pocket presence, and he fired 28 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this past season. If the Jets can surround him with talent on offense and develop him, he has a high ceiling.”
Of note for fans who would prefer to see the Jets select a wide receiver over a quarterback in this slot, Kiper had USC wideout Makai Lemon going to the Baltimore Ravens at No. 14, two spots ahead of the Jets.
Jets’ flexibility
Kiper’s latest mock draft highlights that the Jets have exactly what a bad team should covet at this stage of its rebuild: Flexibility.
New York could take a quarterback with the second overall pick, the 16th overall selection, or in the second round, and none of those picks would be considered “unwise” decisions. The team needs a starting quarterback, and taking a gamble on one early is never a bad call.
For it to be a bad call, the team would have to fail to surround the rookie with an infusion of talent at other positions. But the Jets won’t have that problem with all the resources at their disposal.
The potential selection of Reese, arguably the best non-quarterback in the class, and Simpson, the second-best signal-caller, would set the Jets up with potential cornerstones on both sides of the ball. They could then use the rest of the draft to add surrounding pieces.
Remember, the Jets also have two second-round picks to work with in the top 45 overall selections (Nos. 33 and 44). There will be plenty of chances for the team to address other positions like wide receiver and cornerback.
Coming off a three-win season, New York would be in bad shape if they didn’t have this kind of capital at their disposal. The fact that they have all these picks and over $90 million in cap space highlights the Jets’ promising reality: there are several ways they can go in this draft, and none of them is wrong.
