As the New York Jets move into the 2026 season, much of their future is based on potential rather than past production.

After winning three games in 2025, the Jets are banking on improvement across countless areas of the roster, anchored by a plethora of offseason additions. They are also hoping to see development from plenty of young players, including both holdovers and rookie draft picks.

When a roster is built so heavily around potential, there are bound to be players who are overrated, with fans and analysts judging them based on who they could be rather than who they are.

Without further ado, here are the Jets’ three most overrated players going into the 2026 season.

LT Olu Fashanu

Olu Fashanu could become a good starting left tackle in the NFL. He could even become a great one.

Right now, though, he is average at best.

As Joe Blewett broke down in his film review of Fashanu’s 2025 season, the former first-round pick continues to deal with many technical issues that have consistently popped up on his film, dating back to college. Fashanu’s physical traits are excellent, giving him a high ceiling, but until he cleans up his technique, he should be viewed as a middle-of-the-pack left tackle, not the franchise left tackle that some are ready to crown him as.

Fashanu earned a 69.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus in 2025, which ranked 17th out of 33 qualified left tackles. It was actually a step back from the 74.3 mark he posted across six appearances at left tackle in his rookie season, which supports the claim that he did not improve in 2025.

Fashanu is under more pressure in 2026 than many fans realize.

DT Harrison Phillips

Off the field, Harrison Phillips has been a breath of fresh air within a desolate New York Jets organization. Since joining the franchise in August, he has consistently delivered a positive attitude and an honest perspective of what the organization must do better.

Phillips’ character and personality have made him a fan-favorite and an indispensable part of the team’s culture change. On the field, he remains a solid run defender.

However, Phillips’ complete lack of pass-rush production makes him a player who, in a perfect world, should only be touching the field in goal-line or short-yardage situations.

Phillips was one of the least productive interior pass rushers in the NFL last season. Across 358 pass-rush snaps, Phillips finished the season with 0.5 sacks and one measly QB hit. He only had 10 total pressures, which essentially means he pressured the quarterback about once every two games, despite getting about 21 pass-rush chances per game.

The 17 starts and 61% snap count that Phillips logged in 2025 are substantially higher marks than what his impact demands. The Jets should cut those marks significantly in 2026.

The Jets added plenty of talent to their interior defensive line, including trade pickup T’Vondre Sweat, free agent David Onyemata, and fourth-round pick Darrell Jackson Jr. These additions should allow the Jets to push Phillips down to a situational role that makes more sense for the player he is at this stage of his career.

New York also has a contract decision to make with Phillips. He is due to have a $7.5 million cap hit this season, but none of that is guaranteed. Based on Phillips’ 2025 impact and projected role in 2026, that mark seems a bit excessive, but the Jets would love to have Phillips around for his leadership and run defense. It’s possible that the Jets could sign Phillips to a multi-year extension while bringing his cap hit down.

TE Kenyon Sadiq

Can a rookie who has yet to play a game be overrated?

In the case of Kenyon Sadiq, perhaps.

Sadiq was drafted 16th overall and will join a Jets offense that did not have a 400-yard receiver last year. As a result, he is widely expected to have an extremely productive rookie year. After all, he is a top-16 pick who will be joining a team with ample targets available.

The thing many overlook about Sadiq is that he is much more of a developmental project than most players chosen in the top 16. Compared to recent first-round tight ends, he offers a far less proven track record of college production.

Compare Sadiq’s career numbers in college to those of other tight ends chosen in the first round since 2023:

  • Kenyon Sadiq (42 games): 80 receptions, 892 yards, 11 TD
  • Tyler Warren (56 games): 153 receptions, 1,839 yards, 19 TD
  • Colston Loveland (39 games): 117 receptions, 1,466 yards, 11 TD
  • Brock Bowers (40 games): 175 receptions, 2,538 yards, 26 TD
  • Dalton Kincaid (31 games): 107 receptions, 1,414 yards, 16 TD

It’s downright jarring how much Sadiq’s production pales in comparison to other first-round tight ends. The Jets are taking a major gamble on his development by making him a first-round choice.

Of course, it’s Sadiq’s potential that pushed him so high on the Jets’ draft board. If things click, he could be a playmaker unlike anything we’ve ever seen at the tight end position. The man can run 40 yards in 4.39 seconds and leap 43.5 inches off the ground.

For now, that’s an if, though. Sadiq’s 2025 film at Oregon is littered with technical issues that require fixing, including his route-running, drop-proneness, and in-line blocking.

Sadiq is a much less refined product coming into the NFL than most first-round tight ends. Fans should not be surprised if his rookie-year production is disappointing compared to the likes of Warren, Loveland, and Bowers.

But with a year or two of development, the hope is that Sadiq’s ceiling exceeds any of those players.