The New York Jets will draft second overall in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. When the team traded cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts ahead of the NFL Trade Deadline, the Jets received two first-round picks in 2026 and 2027. The Jets are slated to draft 16th as well, courtesy of the Colts.
The Mel Kiper mock drafts are always a hot topic this time of year and for the next three months. He recently predicted the 2026 first-round picks, and as always, people are going crazy.
Kiper has the Jets drafting the best defensive player available on the board, Arvell Reese from Ohio State. Here is what the draft specialist said:
“The Jets ranked 31st in sacks with 26, and Will McDonald IV was the only player on the roster with more than four of them (eight). Jermaine Johnson is heading into his fifth-year-option season, meaning the depth chart could be thinning out on the edge. With coach Aaron Glenn’s defensive background, getting that unit right will be an offseason priority. 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.)”
Kiper then agreed with Jets fans, saying that the team does need a new quarterback. However, he gave his reason why it won’t be with the first pick. Kiper predicted that NY would draft Alabama’s QB Ty Simpson with the 16th overall selection.
“For the Jets fans screaming that the team needs a quarterback, I’m with you. There just isn’t another passer worthy of a top-two selection right now after Dante Moore decided to go back to Oregon for another season. Perhaps that changes. Maybe the Jets go get a veteran and make this irrelevant anyway, waiting for 2027, instead, when they have three first-rounders. But right now, New York is better off taking the top defensive prospect on the board — and maybe getting lucky at the QB position when it is back on the board in the middle of Round 1.”
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