The question isn’t, what do the Jets need? The question is, what don’t the Jets need? They are truly one of the worst franchises in the NFL. They have not had a winning season since 2015. They finished the 2024 season with a 5-12 record, and they have the seventh pick in the first round of this year’s draft.
Overall, they have eight picks but only own four of the first 110. Truth be told, this team does have some talent on it. After drafting Sam Darnold, there was real hope in Jets Nation. But he famously “saw ghosts” during a Monday Night matchup against the Patriots and was quickly jettisoned. And then, after acquiring Aaron Rodgers, there was again real hope within Jets Nation. The first year was a washout, with him blowing out his achilles in wk.1. With him back healthy last year, many pundits had the Jets winning the division and going deep into the playoffs.
Here we are again, coming off an awful season and needing help in the draft. Rodgers is now a memory, replaced by Justin Fields, who is fast becoming a journeyman QB. This could be his shot to be a starter in the league. He wasn’t awful last season in Pittsburgh, and I’ve always liked his game. He’s not the most accurate QB, but neither is Lamar Jackson. For his career, his completion % is only 61.1, but last year with the Steelers he improved to 65.8%.
His main targets at the moment are more than serviceable. His no.1 WR is Garrett Wilson, and his RB1 is Breece Hall. Hall caught 76 passes in 2023 and 57 last year. And in the offseason they acquired WR Josh Reynolds.
The team’s top needs this offseason are on both lines, a TE, and a long-term solution at QB. They can also use more depth at WR and RB. With the seventh pick they will have their choice to address either Line. Mason Graham, the DT from Michigan, will be available, as will OT Armand Membou from Missouri. Even though they already have four first-rounders on defense, and were ranked better on defense last season, Graham should be the choice here.
At no.42, they have two options. They can either trade up 10-15 spots and grab Michigan TE Colston Loveland. Or, they can stand pat and take Miami TE Isiah Arroyo. They cannot afford to trade any draft capital, so I’d stick at no.42 and take Arroyo.
With their third-round pick, at no.73, they may be in a position to pick the most important selection the team has ever had. There is a QB who is projected to go in the third-round, who has the potential to be the best QB in this draft, as well as a generational talent. It is Alabama’s Jalen Milroe. It may be a bit early to take a flyer on someone, but sometimes, a team needs to roll the dice. Someone is going to hit a home run by picking Milroe…it may as well be the Jets.
The kid has a big arm and big legs. He throws a dynamite deep ball and has the necessary speed that is required for today’s NFL QB. When watching him at Alabama I see Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts.
With their fourth and fifth-round picks, they should bolster their offensive line, taking Kansas’s Logan Brown and Wisconsin’s Jack Nelson. But the key to this draft for the Jets is snagging Milroe in the third round. And if they can leave, walking away with him, as well as getting their future TE, the Jets may no longer be the league’s doormats.