New York Jets 2026 NFL Draft Needs, Picks & Depth Chart

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No matter how well they did in free agency, all 32 NFL teams head into the 2026 NFL Draft with holes to fill on the roster.

Leading into the draft, we will identify the top needs for every team and break down the depth chart position by position.

What are the Jets' top positions of need heading into the 2026 NFL draft?

New York Jets Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2026

1. Quarterback
2. EDGE
3. Cornerback

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New York Jets 2026 Draft Capital

The Jets have the most draft capital according to our Sharp Football Draft Value.

Our Sharp Football Draft Value is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.

New York Jets 2026 NFL Draft Picks

Find the complete list of Jets draft picks in our 2026 NFL Draft order tracker.

New York Jets Mock Draft Predictions

Find out who our top-rated experts expect the Jets to draft:

• Brendan Donahue's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #2 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
• Ryan McCrystal's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #20 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.

New York Jets Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the New York Jets, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Quarterback

1. Geno Smith
2. Brady Cook
3. Bailey Zappe

The Jets received anemic quarterback play in 2025.

Their quarterbacks combined to rank 31st in the league in rating (75.0), completing 60.3% of their passes (29th), for 5.6 yards per pass attempt (last), 9.3 yards per completion (last), a 3% touchdown rate (30th), and a 2.6% interception rate (25th).

Justin Fields (9), Tyrod Taylor (4), and Brady Cook (4) all started four or more games for them last year.

Only Cook remains with the team.

The Jets brought back Geno Smith this offseason in an effort to be a bridge quarterback for either a rookie they pick in this draft or to get them through the season to a future selection at the position.

Smith will be 36 in October and is coming off a disastrous runout with the Raiders last season.

Smith was still viable in completing 67.4% of his passes (11th among qualifiers for the league’s passer rating), but he only managed 6.8 yards per attempt (24th), 10.0 yards per completion (29th), a 4.2% touchdown rate (26th), a 3.8% interception rate (31st), and took a sack on a league-high 10.9% of his dropbacks.

To be fair, that is an improvement in many areas over what the Jets received in 2025.

Smith’s largest ongoing issue for his career (even during his best run with Seattle) is that he has some of the starkest splits when pressured.

That held again in 2025.

When pressured last year, Smith completed 49.6% of his passes (17th) for 5.3 Y/A (27th) with a 4.7% interception rate (32nd).

Over the past four years, Smith has averaged 6.0 Y/A (26th) with a 4.3% interception rate (35th) under pressure.

From a clean pocket over that stretch, Smith averages 7.9 Y/A (12th) with only a 1.6% interception rate (18th).

Even if the Jets do not find the answer in this class, they should still throw a dart at a passer with one of their picks.

Cook was not put in a great position to succeed in his small sample as a rookie, but the results were uninspiring.

Over the final five weeks of 2025, Cook was last in the league in rating (55.4), completion rate (57.5%), yards per pass attempt (4.8 Y/A), yards per completion (8.4), and touchdown rate (1.3%).

He threw an interception on 4.6% of his throws (29th) and took a sack on 11% of his dropbacks (28th).

Running Back

1. Breece Hall
2. Braelon Allen
3. Isaiah Davis
4. Kene Nwangwu

This is an area where the Jets are not pressed to make an immediate move unless they believe that a long-term commitment from Breece Hall is off the table.

After rumors swirled that he would be moved last season at the trade deadline, Hall remained on the team to close 2025.

The Jets then used the franchise tag on him this offseason in hopes that he can remain part of their big-picture plans moving forward.

Hall is coming off 1,415 yards from scrimmage and 5 touchdowns on 279 touches in 2025.

He rushed for a career-high 1,065 yards, adding 36 catches for 350 yards as a pass catcher.

Hall has had an efficiency dip since his rookie season, when he posted 6.9 yards per touch, but he is a reliable contributor in a bad offense, putting up at least 1,300 total yards in each of the past three seasons.

Behind Hall, Braelon Allen missed the final 13 games of 2025 with an MCL injury.

With two years remaining on his rookie contract, Allen is expected to be available for training camp this summer.

The Jets also still have Isaiah Davis with two years left on his rookie contract.

Davis has been a solid contributor when called upon, averaging 6.4 yards and 6.6 yards per touch over his first two seasons.

You can make the case that he has been underused.

In five career games playing 40% of the snaps, Davis has averaged 53.4 total yards per game and 6.9 yards per touch.

Wide Receiver

1. Garrett Wilson
2. Adonai Mitchell
3. Isaiah Williams
4. Arian Smith
5. Irvin Charles
6. Jamaal Pritchett
7. Quentin Skinner

Jets wide receivers combined for 156 receptions (27th), 1,586 yards (31st), and 10 touchdowns (25th) in 2025.

It was much worse after accounting for the absence of Garrett Wilson.

Wilson led the team with 395 receiving yards on the season, and he played only 19 snaps after Week 6 due to an ongoing knee injury.

Through Week 6, Wilson was third among wide receivers in targets (56), third in receptions (36), fourth in receiving yards (395), and tied for second in touchdowns (4).

Over the final 11 games of the year, New York wide receivers averaged 9.1 catches (24th) for 90.6 yards (30th) per game with 5 touchdowns (31st).

The team acquired Adonai Mitchell as part of the Sauce Gardner trade at the deadline, which did provide some downfield juice.

From Week 11 on, Mitchell was targeted on 23.8% of his routes (12th), but he was impacted by a league-worst 27.6% inaccurate target rate over that span.

Mitchell still has two more years on his rookie deal, giving him some room to grow with more accurate quarterback play alongside Wilson.

Mitchell is a former second-round pick and has upside, but the Jets should not rest on him being locked in as their only option to develop as the WR2 next to Wilson.

After that, there is not much of note here.

The only receivers signed beyond 2026 are Arian Smith, Quentin Skinner, and Jamaal Pritchett.

Smith had a rough rookie season and was eventually shelved to close the year.

Out of 118 receivers to run 200 routes last year, Smith was last in yards per route run (0.21), catching 7 of 16 targets for 52 yards.

Tight End

1. Mason Taylor
2. Jeremy Ruckert
3. Jelani Woods

Outside of day three depth, the Jets are unlikely to do much here.

The team selected Mason Taylor in the second round (42nd overall) in last year’s draft.

Playing in 13 games as a rookie, Taylor caught 44 of 65 targets for 369 yards and 1 touchdown.

In his games played, Taylor was on the field for 81% of the offensive snaps.

Jeremy Ruckert still has two years remaining on his contract, while Jelani Woods is a pending free agent.

Offensive Line

LT: Olu Fashanu, Max Mitchell
LG: Dylan Parham, Xavier Newman, Kohl Levao
C: Josh Myers, Liam Fornadel, Gus Hartwig
RG: Joe Tippmann, Marquis Hayes
RT: Armand Membou, Chukwuma Okorafor

The Jets were a mixed bag up front in 2025.

They ranked 26th in pass block win rate (58%) per ESPN and 14th in run block win rate (71%).

At Pro Football Focus, they ranked 15th in pass block grade and 21st in run block grade.

They were 25th in pressure rate allowed (38.9%)

The positives are that they were the healthiest unit in the league.

The most used offensive line combination was on the field for 95.8% of their offensive snaps, tops in the league.

The next closest team (Atlanta) was at 80.2%.

Four of those five linemen are back, with them losing left guard John Simpson in free agency.

The team signed Dylan Parham from the Raiders to a two-year deal to compete for that starting spot.

The interior of the line is the largest question mark in terms of quality.

Joe Tippmann moved from center to right guard last year after Alijah Vera-Tucker was lost for the year in the preseason.

Tippmann is in the final season of his rookie contract.

Center Josh Myers has two years remaining on his current contract.

The Jets do not have to aggressively look to upgrade the interior of their offensive line, but any of those spots can be upgraded or at least have added competition.

Especially since they ran into a lot of fortune on the injury front during the season.

The tackle spots are manned by back-to-back first-round picks in Olu Fashanu in 2024 and Armand Membou last year.

Fashanu took a step forward in his second season.

After ranking 64th in pass blocking grade per Pro Football Focus among tackles as a rookie, Fashanu was 27th last season.

He played 99% of the snaps after 57% as a rookie.

Membou opened his career right behind him at 29th while playing 100% of the snaps.

New York Jets Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Raymond Summerlin breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the New York Jets, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Defensive Line

1. T’Vondre Sweat
2. David Onyemata
3. Harrison Phillips
4. Jowon Briggs
5. Mazi Smith
6. Payton Page
7. Eric Watts
8. Jack Heflin

The Jets struggled to stop the run last season, allowing 4.4 yards per carry to running backs (21st), but they were seventh in yards before contact allowed on those runs.

New York beefed up the defensive line this offseason, trading for T’Vondre Sweat and signing David Onyemata.

Onyemata is in the later stages of his career, but he has been a consistent force against the run throughout his career.

Sweat is only entering the third year of his career, but he also already has a strong track record defending the run.

Both players finished in the top 32 among qualified defensive linemen in run stuff rate last year.

With Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs back, the Jets have the makings of a solid unit up front, though they could perhaps use more of a pass-rush push from this group.

Briggs did log a solid 12.7% pressure rate on 300 pass rush snaps, but that was his first real run of playing time in the NFL.

Perhaps the Jets can get something from former Cowboys first-round pick Mazi Smith, but he played just 54 snaps across three games after joining the team in November.

He is probably competing more for a roster spot than real playing time.

Edge Defenders

1. Will McDonald
2. Joseph Ossai
3. Kingsley Enagbare
4. Braiden McGregor
5. Tyler Baron
6. Ochaun Mathis
7. Kingsley Jonathan
8. Paschal Ekeji

The Jets ranked dead last in pressure rate last season and 31st with just 26 total sacks.

Jermaine Johnson was dealt in the trade that brought in Sweat, but Will McDonald is back to lead the pass rush.

McDonald took a step back over 15 games last season, but he has a solid 13.1% career pressure rate and 21.5 sacks in 47 games.

He can be the anchor for this unit.

New York brought in Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare in free agency to help shore up the pass rush.

Ossai has never recorded more than 5 sacks in a season, but he had a career-best 12.1% pressure rate last year.

Enagbare has never recorded more than 4.5 sacks in a season playing in a rotational role while with the Packers.

The reality is that neither Ossai nor Enagbare should feel comfortable with their spot on the depth chart.

The Jets are very likely to add a pass rusher early in the draft, perhaps even with the No. 2 overall selection, and that makes sense when looking at the relative strength of this unit.

That player added to McDonald should give New York enough talent on the outside.

Linebacker

1. Demario Davis
2. Jamien Sherwood
3. Kiko Mauigoa
4. Mykal Walker
5. Marcelino McCrary-Ball
6. Kobe King

Quincy Williams left in free agency, but New York brought in veteran Demario Davis to take his spot.

Originally a third-round pick by the Jets in 2012, Davis is entering his 15th season in the league at age 37.

Davis was still productive in the running game last season, recording the second-most run stuffs among qualified linebackers.

He also ranked fine against the pass, posting 0.7 yards allowed per coverage snap.

There is always concern about an older player hitting the wall, but Davis has not shown any signs of slowing down.

Adding Davis should be good for Jamien Sherwood, who took a small step back last season but was still effective in the running game.

New York added Mykal Walker in free agency as depth, and they have 2025 fifth-round pick Kiko Mauigoa behind that trio.

The Jets could look to add some long-term talent to this group, but they have bigger immediate issues on the roster right now.

Cornerback

1. Brandon Stephens
2. Nahshon Wright
3. Azareye’h Thomas
4. Jarvis Brownlee
5. Qwan’tez Stiggers
6. Jordan Clark
7. Tre Brown
8. Samuel Womack

The pass defense fell apart last season, allowing 7.5 yards per attempt and finishing last in EPA per pass attempt allowed.

Infamously, they did not record a single interception all season.

The environment did not help Brandon Stephens, but he struggled in his first season with the team, allowing a 134.3 quarterback rating in his coverage.

A third-round pick last year, Azareye’h Thomas was on the field for just 311 snaps over 12 games, and he did not shine in those snaps.

Traded to the team in September, Jarvis Brownlee appeared in seven games before landing on injured reserve.

Brownlee looked better in New York than he did with the Titans, but it remains another question mark for this unit.

Nahshon Wright was the only addition in free agency, and he signed a one-year, relatively small deal.

Wright was not great snap to snap with the Bears last season, his first extended run of playing time in the league, but he did log 5 interceptions.

This group could also get a boost from Minkah Fitzpatrick, depending on how the Jets plan to utilize the recently acquired safety in sub-packages.

Even if Fitzpatrick helps out in the slot, though, the Jets could use some help at corner.

Safety

1. Minkah Fitzpatrick
2. Dane Belton
3. Malachi Moore
4. Andre Cisco
5. Dean Clark
6. Jarius Monroe
7. Keidron Smith
8. Chris Smith

As mentioned above, Fitzpatrick should play a role at corner in clear passing situations, something that makes even more sense when looking at the strength of the safety spot compared to corner.

Dane Belton was added from the cross-town Giants in free agency.

He is not an impact addition like Fitzpatrick, but he is a solid option who has the versatility to move around the defensive formation.

A fourth-round pick last year, Malachi Moore did not have the best rookie campaign, but he was given a big role in a bad situation.

The Jets also somewhat surprisingly brought back Andre Cisco, who lasted just eight games in his first season with the Jets last year.

There are certainly questions in this safety room, but they have an impact player at the top and a lot of options behind him.

Safety should not be a primary focus heading into the draft.

2026 Depth Chart Analysis & Team Needs for All 32 NFL Teams