A-
New York Jets
The Jets worked the phones like thieves and earned a A-.
by Fins1981 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 26 picks
· 10 steals
· 8 reaches
If confidence were a draft strategy, the Jets would have aced it. Patrick Payton at the Round 5 slot is 85 spots clear of where he belonged. The board rewarded a patient, disciplined weekend with a A-.
The Stowers pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. The Jets paired the rookies with proven help, Keon Coleman leading the way.
Bottom line, with KC Concepcion leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 24 they get a home-run threat at receiver at fair value.
In slot 26 they get a go-to option on the outside at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
A market-rate edge rusher, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Joshua Josephs. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A quiet steal in pick No. 49: Caleb Banks for less than the market said. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Value with a capital V on Anthony Hill Jr. in the 52nd overall pick, a genuine coup. A minor need, but a need all the same.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Darrell Jackson Jr.. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They barely believed it either: Eli Stowers still on the board at the Round 3 slot. A minor itch, scratched.
A top-tier running back at a bargain, Mike Washington Jr. in slot 97, plain and simple. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Ted Hurst in Round 4, Pick 3. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Somehow Sam Roush was still sitting there in pick 112, and they pounced on premier tight end value. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Zakee Wheatley in No. 120 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Bud Clark at the 125th overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They will replay Tacario Davis at the 131st pick for years; that is how good the value is. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Eli Raridon at pick No. 140 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the tight end. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Charles Demmings at the 152nd overall pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Nothing to complain about; Zxavian Harris went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. It fills a real need, too.
Patrick Payton at pick No. 162 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A wild overpay on Taylen Green in Round 5, Pick 23, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Febechi Nwaiwu in No. 179 lands just on the right side of the ledger. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A clean, defensible pick in the Round 5 slot with a little surplus value in Domani Jackson. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jeff Caldwell slid further than he should have, and pick 196 is lovely value for the wide receiver. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A reach on Isaiah Jatta in slot 228; the board had better options right there. A need, and now a little less of one.
Bryce Foster in slot 234 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. The roster fit checks out.
A big swing on Logan Taylor at No. 235, well ahead of any board in the building. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A conviction pick on Nolan Rucci at the 242nd pick that the board grades a round light. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Enrique Cruz Jr. in pick 253, miles early. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.