New York Jets NFL Draft: Results, Future Picks, Trades

Pick	Round	Headshot	Player	Position	School
15🚨(GB)	1		Will McDonald	EDGE	Iowa State
43	2		Joe Tippmann	WR	Wisconsin
120🚨(PIT via NE)	4		Carter Warren	OT	Pittsburgh
143	5		Israel Abanikanda	RB	Pittsburgh
184🚨(LV via NE)	6		Zaire Barnes	LB	Western Michigan
204🚨(DAL via LV)	6		Jarrick Bernard-Converse	DB	LSU
220🚨(ARI via LV)	7		Zack Kuntz	TE	Old Dominion

• 🚨 Denotes a traded draft pick

If 2020 and 2021 were his warmups, and 2022 was his masterpiece, then the 2023 NFL draft is New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas‘s cherry on top of the perfectly-constructed cake.

The New York Jets NFL draft results from 2023 lead with an athletic EDGE rusher whose talents are complemented by an interior offensive mauler.

The New York Jets select Iowa State EDGE Will McDonald No. 15

The New York Jets felt the pain of acquiring Aaron Rodgers when draft time came.

Although nobody would argue against acquiring the future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, swapping 2023 NFL draft picks in Round 1—with the Green Bay Packers—may have come back to bite Joe Douglas and company a bit. Rumore to be interested in an offensive tackle, the market dried up a bit at No. 15—as opposed to where the Jets previously were (No. 13).

Therefore, the Jets selected Iowa State EDGE Will McDonald as their first selection in the 2023 NFL draft.

Joe Tippmann selected in Round 2

When selecting collegiate offensive linemen, perhaps no university churns out more reliable talent than Wisconsin.

New York’s lone second-round selection—No. 43 overall—turned out to be center Joe Tippmann, who will battle veteran Connor McGovern in training camp for top offensive billing.

New York Jets NFL draft history is an interesting topic, to say the least. In short, there’s a lot left to be desired.

Not even the most optimistic of New York Jets fans can magically wave away the franchise’s ineptitude over the course of the last five decades in the NFL draft.

Better yet, most of the diehard Jets fans had a chance to witness this history first hand, as their presence in New York City—where the NFL draft was located for so many years—became one of the focal points of the annual National Football League event.

From Vernon Gholston to Roger Vick, Kyle Brady to Johnny “Lam” Jones, the Jets haven’t always gotten it right.

Current general manager Joe Douglas aims to change everything.

As it currently stands, Douglas’s first draft class is having its issues—specifically in the availability department. Mekhi Becton hasn’t played since Week 1, Denzel Mims has been pushed to the back of the depth chart by better players, Jabari Zuniga hasn’t made an impact, and Ashtyn Davis is still struggling to showcase football instincts from his deep-safety post.

The lone bright spot (with apologies to punter Braden Mann), fifth-round cornerback Bryce Hall, has played well in 2021.

The 2021 class is a different story entirely.

Not only is Alijah Vera-Tucker already proving that he can be a potential future All-Pro at guard, but Elijah Moore and Michael Carter are both balling as rookies. The overall success of the Jets’ 2021 NFL draft class will ultimately come down to how quarterback Zach Wilson performs over the long haul, but the kids that have provided an ample sample size have done more than enough to get the arrow trending in a positive direction.

Owning the Seattle Seahawks’ first-round pick in 2022 (thank you, Jamal Adams) provides Douglas and the Jets the opportunity to really hammer home the core of the team’s future depth chart.

If the 2021 NFL draft class changed the perception around the New York Jets, then it was the 2022 class that truly cemented the organization as one of the better-drafting franchises in the NFL.

Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, and Breece Hall took the league by storm as rookies—with Gardner and Wilson taking home NFL Rookie of the Year honors. Anything Jermaine Johnson and the rest of the crew is simply the cherry on top of an already elite class core.

This is the New York Jets fans’ hub for anything and everything related to the NFL draft.

Future Picks at a Glance

• 🚨Denotes a draft pick acquired via trade
• ❌Denotes a draft pick traded away
• ❓Denotes a draft pick condition
• ✅Denotes own draft pick

The New York Jets were loaded in the 2022 NFL draft, courtesy of the Jamal Adams and Sam Darnold trades. Even the Chris Herndon and Avery Williamson trades have them set up for multiple picks in some of the mid-rounds.

After 2022, the chalk was pretty set. Joe Douglas has just one pick in each of the standard rounds, minus a seventh-round selection in 2023 thanks to the Steve McLendon deal.

That was until a man named Aaron Rodgers came to town.

Now, after the Rodgers deal, the Jets have five picks in the 2024 NFL draft. They’ll have either the Round 1 or Round 2 pick—with the other going to Green Bay via Aaron Rodgers’s total 2023 snap count (more or fewer than 65% of the total snaps). Douglas will then have a Round 3 self-owned pick, two Round 4 picks (one coming via the Jacob Martin-Denver Broncos trade), and a self-owned pick in Round 6.

Round 5 is gone via Jacob Martin, whereas Round 7 is in the Baltimore Ravens’ hands courtesy of the Chuck Clark transaction.

2024 NFL draft (5 total picks)

• Round 1 (Conditional via GB: Jets keep if Aaron Rodgers plays fewer than 65% of 2023 snaps)
• Round 2 (Conditional via GB: Jets keep if Aaron Rodgers plays more than 65% of 2023 snaps)
• Round 3
• Round 4
• Round 4 (Trade via DEN: Jacob Martin)
• Round 6

2025 NFL draft (7 total picks)

• Round 1
• Round 2
• Round 3
• Round 4
• Round 5
• Round 6
• Round 7

2026 NFL draft (7 total picks)

• Round 1
• Round 2
• Round 3
• Round 4
• Round 5
• Round 6
• Round 7

Pick	Round	Headshot	Player	Position	School
4	1		Ahmad Gardner	CB	Cincinnati
10🚨(SEA)	1		Garrett Wilson	WR	Ohio State
26🚨(TEN)	1		Jermaine Johnson	EDGE	Florida State
36🚨(NYG)	2		Breece Hall	RB	Iowa State
101🚨(TEN)	3		Jeremy Ruckert	TE	Ohio State
111🚨(CAR)	4		Max Mitchell	OT	Louisiana
117🚨(MIN)	4		Micheal Clemons	EDGE	Texas A&M

New York Jets draft Ahmad Gardner, Garrett Wilson and Jermaine Johnson in Round 1

The New York Jets just improved their roster.

Once the Houston Texans selected LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr. No. 3 overall, Joe Douglas knew exactly what he had to do: draft Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner third overall in the 2022 NFL draft.

That’s exactly what he did. He then double-dipped in the skill-position player pool by going with Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson No. 10 overall.

Just when Jets fans thought the already-exhilarating night was over, Douglas pulled a fast one when he traded up and back into the first round (Tennessee Titans) to snag EDGE Jermaine Johnson.

New York Jets trade up to No. 36 to draft RB Breece Hall

The New York Jets traded up to No. 36—with the New York Giants, coughing up No. 38 and No. 146—to land Iowa State running back Breece Hall in Round 2.

Later on Day 2, the Jets snagged Long Island native Jeremy Ruckert at pick No. 101 (Round 3), much to the pleasure of his diehard Jets-fan family.

Jets draft offensive tackle Max Mitchell on Day 3

Joe Douglas went back to his heart and soul on Day 3 when he used pick No. 111 to select Louisiana offensive tackle Max Mitchell (Round 4).

The Jets then drafted EDGE Micheal Clemons (Texas A&M) six picks later (No. 117).

Pick	Round	Headshot	Player	Position	School
2	1		Zach Wilson	QB	BYU
14	1		Alijah Vera-Tucker	OL	USC
34	2		Elijah Moore	WR	Ole Miss
107	4		Michael Carter	RB	UNC
146	5		Jamien Sherwood	LB	Auburn
154	5		Michael Carter II	DB	Duke
175	5		Jason Pinnock	DB	Pitt
186	6		Hamsah Nasirildeen	LB	FSU
200	6		Brandin Echols	CB	Kentucky
207	6		Jonathan Marshall	DT	Arkansas

The 2021 NFL draft will go in New York Jets history as the draft that produced quarterback Zach Wilson. Joe Douglas and the Jets selected Wilson No. 2 overall, one spot after the Jacksonville Jaguars chose Clemson star Trevor Lawrence.

Tanking led the narrative for the 2020 Jets, led by Adam Gase. Although the team put forth an effort that resembled anything but intentionally losing, fans and media members were on the Lawrence-to-the-Jets storyline all season.

A couple of victories against good teams—the Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns—changed that idea in a hurry. This led the Jets and Wilson to come ultimately come together.

Interestingly, Douglas traded up in the second round in order to snag USC offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker in the 14-hole, while also making sure he added some flare in Elijah Moore early in the second round.

After just one season, the Jets’ 2021 NFL draft class looks to be a home run, especially offensively, where Wilson showed a lot down the stretch, and Vera-Tucker, Moore and Carter all played well (when healthy).

Pick	Round	Headshot	Player	Position	School
11	1		Mekhi Becton	OT	Louisville
59	2		Denzel Mims	WR	Baylor
68	3		Ashtyn Davis	S	Cal
79	3		Jabari Zuniga	EDGE	Florida
120	4		La'Mical Perine	RB	Florida
125	4		James Morgan	QB	FIU
129	4		Cameron Clark	OL	UNC Charlotte
158	5		Bryce Hall	CB	UVA
191	6		Braden Mann	P	Texas A&M

The 2021 NFL season is one to forget for Joe Douglas’s first-ever NFL draft class. Big Mekhi Becton missed essentially the entire season after he exited Week 1 with a leg injury.

Furthermore, Denzel Mims found himself buried on the depth chart, and when he did receive opportunities, he did anything but impress. Ashtyn Davis received plenty of playing time, but he was anything but special.

Perhaps fifth-round pick Bryce Hall is the undoubted star of the 2020 class, as he played like a starting cornerback all season long.