There are several ways to criticize New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey. Above all, just like Aaron Glenn, Mougey’s record is also 5-21.
For several reasons, I believe Mougey deserves a third season, and his status should be evaluated much differently than Glenn’s for several reasons.
Nevertheless, one of the most common knocks thrown Mougey’s way is his “struggles” to find talent on Day 3 of the NFL draft. That narrative is becoming a little overexaggerated, though.
The Mougey Day 3 narrative
Let’s be honest: finding talent on Day 3 of the draft is one of the hardest things for any NFL general manager to do consistently. It’s one of the elements that consistently separates good GMs from great ones.
In two draft classes, Mougey has made eight total selections in Rounds 4-7. Here is a look at those picks:
- Round 4, Pick 110, 2025: Arian Smith, WR
- Round 4, Pick 130, 2025: Malachi Moore, S
- Round 5, Pick 162, 2025: Kiko Mauigoa, LB
- Round 5, Pick 176, 2025: Tyler Baron, EDGE
- Round 4, Pick 103, 2026: Darrell Jackson Jr., DL
- Round 4, Pick 110, 2026: Cade Klubnik, QB
- Round 6, Pick 188, 2026: Anez Cooper, G
- Round 7, Pick 228, 2026: VJ Payne, S
Let’s start with the negatives. Arian Smith has been highly disappointing so far. After a tough rookie campaign and an uninspiring sophomore summer, it surprised many that he even made the Jets’ 53-man roster.
Smith only played in two games this season before being ruled out for the year with a torn ACL. The only area where he had flashed promise entering the year was as a special teamer, but in Week 2, he missed a tackle on a punt return that proved costly, leading to a 63-yard punt return that was critical in a Green Bay Packers comeback victory.
Most of the frustration with Smith, though, doesn’t solely have to do with the fact that he was a fourth-round miss. His struggles are particularly frustrating because he was already considered a significant reach on draft day due to his age, lack of college production until his fifth season, and severe drop issues. So far, nothing we’ve seen from him has changed his status as a Day 3 reach.
It’s fair to criticize Mougey there. He took a bold swing in the fourth round, and it looks like it will ultimately not pan out.
Then, there is Tyler Baron. Beyond taking him in Round 5, the Jets traded up to land the Miami defensive lineman. Like Smith, he didn’t appear to be a capable NFL player in his rookie year; Baron was often a healthy scratch for a 3-14 Jets team. To be fair, though, he missed the entire summer and remains out with a knee injury he suffered in Week 14 of the 2025 season.
However, when he was healthy, Baron struggled to prove that he could even be relied upon as a rotational piece in what was one of the worst EDGE rooms in football. That’s certainly not the start to his NFL career that he wanted, to put it mildly. If he hadn’t been hurt over the summer and remained on the PUP list, it’s fair to question whether he would have made the team, especially after New York revamped the position group this offseason.
The Baron and Smith picks warrant flak. After that, though, what is there to hammer Mougey for?
Kiko Mauigoa and Malachi Moore have been just fine for second-year Day 3 picks. They have both emerged as strong special teams contributors and serviceable end-of-the-rotation players at linebacker and safety.
This year, Moore ranks second on the team in Pro Football Focus’ special teams grade (79.9) and leads the team in special teams tackles (8), three more than the second-place Qwan’tez Stiggers with five. Mauigoa has only been healthy for three games this year, but as a rookie, he ranked sixth on the Jets in special teams snaps (204) while posting a solid 65.6 grade at PFF and missing just one tackle on special teams, compared to four tackles.
The Jets’ earliest Day 3 selection this year, fourth-rounder Darrell Jackson Jr., has looked to be a solid chip so far, flashing promise as a run-stuffing interior defensive lineman. With T’Vondre Sweat on injured reserve, he should get a high snap count over the next few games. So far, he has impressed with the opportunities afforded to him.
Jackson is tied for third among interior defensive linemen with 16 run stops. The three players he’s tied with? Quinnen Williams, Jeffery Simmons, and Dexter Lawrence.
The Florida State product also recorded two huge back-to-back pass deflections at the line of scrimmage in the Jets’ most recent win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 5.
Meanwhile, Cade Klubnik remains the Jets’ QB2 behind Geno Smith and hasn’t been forced on the field yet. Miami guard Anez Cooper and Kansas State safety VJ Payne, meanwhile, haven’t appeared in an NFL game yet, both remaining on injured reserve after suffering injuries over the summer. That means three of this year’s four picks cannot be evaluated.
Has Mougey been fantastic on Day 3? No. But it does not seem fair to say he has been an abomination in that area. If Jackson can pop over the final eight games of the season and turn into a rotational player, the narrative around Mougey’s Day 3 record could really shift.
Among eight Day 3 selections in two years, only two appear to be likely misses. Other than that, the jury is still out. Moore and Mauigoa are backups with special teams ability, Jackson is starting to emerge as a potential rotational piece, and the remaining three players have yet to appear.
So, it’s okay to criticize the Jets’ GM for some of his shortcomings on Day 3, but it’s also crucial to realize that most of Mougey’s Day 3 picks still haven’t played enough to be fairly judged.
