The New York Jets are ready to make a splash.
Dane Brugler of The Athletic released a new mock draft on Thursday, January 15, “based on early buzz from talking to people around the league, not my personal rankings or what I think teams should do.”
Those conversations led to Brugler predicting that the Jets would select USC wide receiver Makai Lemon with the 16th overall pick in the first round of his mock draft.
“The Jets have one legit starter (Garrett Wilson) on their wide receiver depth chart and desperately need to add another weapon who scares defenses. Lemon won’t wow with his size or athletic profile, but he is a manipulative route runner and catches everything thrown his way. If the Jets think his impact can be anything close to what the Lions have gotten from Amon-Ra St. Brown, they should run the card to the podium,” Brugler explained.
Jets Could Go WR Even Earlier in the 2026 NFL Draft
NBC Sports draft analyst Connor Rogers explained that the Jets could go wide receiver even earlier than pick No. 16 overall.
“A lot of the chatter around what Jets do with the no. 2 pick will understandably focus on the high end, defensive talent in this draft. But if they are looking to load up on offense for whoever the future QB is, there is a serious argument to pair Jordyn Tyson with Garrett Wilson,” Rogers said on social media.
But if they are looking to load up on offense for whoever the future QB is, there is a serious argument to pair Jordyn Tyson with Garrett
I spoke with A-to-Z Sports NFL draft analyst Ryan Roberts on “Boy Green Daily” on Thursday, January 15.
During that conversation, he agreed that wide receiver is in play for the No. 2 overall pick.
“Wide receiver is an interesting discussion with potentially pairing someone with Garrett Wilson. If there was a conversation point about whoever the quarterback is long term, loading up on wide receiver and pass-catching talent around him would be an interesting conversation point,” Roberts told me on the podcast.
Early Lean Is Defense for the Jets at Pick No. 2 Overall
In Brugler’s mock draft, he predicted that the Jets would take Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese with the 2nd overall pick.
“With Dante Moore returning to Oregon for the 2026 season, the No. 2 pick looks as wide open as I can remember. Though it’s disappointing for the Jets that Moore isn’t on the board, it gives them an opportunity to select whomever they see as the best non-quarterback in the class — and Reese is a prime candidate. He played a hybrid role for the Buckeyes last season, mostly spying and setting the edge, but he was disruptive when allowed to use his speed and violence as a pass rusher,” Brugler wrote.
Rogers said on social media that he considers Reese the current “favorite” for the Jets with the 2nd pick. He admitted that it is a “pretty wide open field” in terms of who could be that selection.
Fortunately for the Jets, they have a ton of roster needs. So they could go in a lot of different directions, and it could still help the team.
‘Early Buzz’ Says Jets Will Add a Dynamic WR This Offseason