Kenyon Sadiq is the first tight end the New York Jets have taken in the first round since 2008.
Moe Moton of Bleacher Report predicted that Sadiq will be the team’s “biggest bust” during the 2026 season.
“The New York Jets made a somewhat puzzling selection with their second pick in the first round. They took Kenyon Sadiq, who plays a position that’s typically tough for rookies transitioning to the pros. Brock Bowers is an anomaly. All-Pro Trey McBride only caught 29 passes for 265 yards and a touchdown in his first season,” Moton wrote.
“In addition to Sadiq’s adjustment to the pro game, he’ll split time with second-year tight end Mason Taylor, who recorded a team-leading 44 catches for 369 yards and a touchdown last season,” Moton said.
“Sadiq may emerge as a primary target in two or so years, but he could be behind Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, fellow rookie Omar Cooper Jr., and Taylor in the Jets’ pass-catching pecking order for the 2026 campaign,” Moton added. “Also, keep in mind Sadiq underwent a procedure for hernia repair and didn’t practice in the spring.”
The Thought Process Makes Plenty of Sense
Moton picked the perfect player for this exercise. It doesn’t mean that he is going to be right, but his thought process is sound.
Sadiq was a one-year wonder at the college level. He didn’t become a full-time starter until the 2025 season. The Jets are betting on upside over consistent, proven production.
Sadiq missed the final week of OTAs and all of mandatory minicamp. By default, he will be behind the eight-ball heading into training camp in late July. It’s hard enough for rookies to keep up with all of the reps, let alone when you miss critical practice time.
Historically speaking, tight ends aren’t immediate producers at the NFL level as rookies. With how the Jets offense is constructed, they’re relying on two rookies to make immediate impacts with Cooper and Sadiq. That is a lot to ask.
This statement I’m about to write hasn’t been uttered many times without sarcasm over the last 15 years, but the Jets are loaded on offense, at least on paper. It’s up in the air where Sadiq will fall in the target share rankings on offense.
As One Rises Another Falls
Sadiq is behind the eight ball for all the reasons that have been laid out. So his arrow is pointing in the wrong direction at least in the middle of July.
While his positional teammate, Mason Taylor’s arrow is pointing in the complete opposite direction.
Taylor is heading into year No. 2. This offseason, while Sadiq has been losing critical reps, Taylor has been getting extra ones.
Jets starting quarterback Geno Smith has been posting workouts that he has been running on his Instagram during the six-week break ahead of training camp. The one teammate who has seemingly been getting the most work with Smith is Taylor.
Chemistry is something you have, or you don’t have. There is no way to simulate physical reps between two players. Taylor is getting invaluable time with his starting quarterback this offseason. That will pay major dividends by the time training camp arrives and the regular season.
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