After identifying the New York Jets’ best first-round scheme fit and top three Day 2 scheme fits, it’s time to turn our attention to Day 3.
Here are three intriguing scheme fits for the Jets’ coaching staff who could be targeted in rounds four through seven of the 2026 NFL draft.
Jalen Farmer, IOL, Kentucky
On Wednesday, we pinpointed Florida’s Jake Slaughter when discussing draft prospects who do not match Frank Reich’s schematic and drafting tendencies.
The reasoning was that Slaughter’s movement and athleticism-based game would not be an ideal fit in a Reich scheme that, historically, has predominantly relied on man/duo and inside zone concepts, while rarely using outside zone.
On the other side of the coin, a great Day 3 fit would be someone like Kentucky’s Jalen Farmer.
Farmer has a size/length combination that would play well in a run scheme that wants to push the ball downhill. He stands at 6-foot-5 and 312 pounds with mammoth 34¼-inch arms, good enough for the 90th percentile among interior offensive line prospects. His 4.93 time in the forty isn’t too shabby, either.
But it’s Farmer’s aggressiveness, not his athleticism, that jumps off his tape. He can struggle in space, but as a drive blocker on duo concepts, Farmer is a bona fide people-mover, which is precisely what Reich will be looking for in his interior linemen.
A two-year starter at right guard for the Wildcats, Farmer could continue playing guard at the next level, or the Jets could even experiment with trying him out at center as they search for long-term upgrades at the position. Either way, the Jets could absolutely use an interior lineman on Day 3 as they aim to maximize the youth, depth, and upside of their offensive line.
Ranked No. 98 on the consensus big board, Farmer is viewed as a fringe Day 2/3 prospect. The Jets own the 103rd overall pick, the third choice of the fourth round. If Farmer slips a bit past his projection, he should be near the top of New York’s board at No. 103.
LT Overton, EDGE, Alabama
Aaron Glenn has ridden the fence regarding his defensive line strategy, refusing to commit to either 4-3 or 3-4 ideologies. Speaking to the media in March, he described his scheme as “multiple.”
That aligns with what we saw from him in Detroit. Glenn valued versatility in his defensive linemen, specifically at defensive end, where he relied on a plethora of “tweener” type players who were small enough to effectively rush around the corner, but also big enough to set a strong edge in the run game and occasionally play some snaps between the tackles.
Whether it was Aidan Hutchinson (6-foot-7, 268 pounds), Za’Darius Smith (6-foot-4, 275 pounds), Josh Paschal (6-foot-3, 274 pounds), John Cominsky (6-foot-5, 285 pounds), or Levi Onwuzurike (6-foot-3, 290 pounds), Glenn’s Lions always had multiple defensive ends in the 268-290-pound range with excellent length and strength.
Alabama’s LT Overton is a Day 3 draft target who fits that archetype perfectly.
Overton stands at 6-foot-3 and 274 pounds with 33¼-inch arms and 10⅝-inch hands. The Crimson Tide took advantage of his frame to move him around their defense. Overton played two-thirds of his snaps on the edge and the other third on the interior. He even played 8 snaps at nose tackle.
The concern in Overton’s profile is his pass-rush ceiling; he posted only 24 total pressures and 4.0 sacks on 256 pass-rush snaps in 2025. However, the run-stopping activity was there, as he finished fifth among SEC edge defenders with 20 run stops.
There is also hope for Overton to have a higher pass-rush ceiling than his 2025 season lets on. As a junior in 2024, Overton was much better as a pass rusher, racking up 39 total pressures on 257 pass-rush snaps.
Overall, Overton isn’t a high-ceiling type of Day 3 dice roll due to his lackluster pass-rush resume, but his versatility, run-stopping production, and fit in Glenn’s scheme make him a potential high-floor choice for the Jets in the fourth round.
Ja’Kobi Lane, WR, USC
Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich loves him a big-bodied wideout. Over Reich’s six years as a head coach, all eight wide receivers drafted by his teams were at least six feet and 200 pounds. Seven of the eight were at least 6-foot-2.
That could make USC’s Ja’Kobi Lane a fascinating target for New York with the 103rd overall pick in the fourth round. Lane is ranked No. 109 on the consensus big board.
Serving as the Trojans’ secondary target behind projected first-round pick Makai Lemon, Lane stands at 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds. Along with his height, he boasts 10½ hands (97th percentile for WRs) and a 40-inch vertical (91st percentile for WRs), giving him tantalizing potential as a jump-ball threat.
Lane’s questionable route-running is the reason he is projected to go in the fourth round despite his exciting tools. However, Reich’s offense is a comfortable home for a receiver like Lane.
Reich’s penchant for calling in-breaking routes in the short-to-intermediate range would put Lane’s frame to good use. Even if Lane struggles to consistently separate on his own, he could be a useful target in situations where Reich can scheme open an in-breaker for Lane against off coverage.
Lane is at his best in the intermediate part of the field (10-19 air yards). In 2025, Lane caught 19 of 27 intermediate targets for 278 yards and two touchdowns, dropping just one pass while securing 8-of-11 contested targets (72.7% catch rate). Pro Football Focus scored him with a 98.6 grade on intermediate targets, ranking 10th-best among FBS wideouts (min. 20 targets).
Combine that intermediate production with his exceptional potential as a 50-50 ball winner, and you can easily envision Lane being a productive red-zone specialist.
Even if the Jets draft a wide receiver in the first round, they will still be looking for reinforcements later in the draft, as their depth chart is extremely thin. Lane is the type of Day 3 target whose compatibility with Reich’s scheme could allow him to make an instant impact in a niche role.
