The Jets, along with all 32 NFL teams, will finally put all of the rumors and speculation to rest starting this Thursday at the NFL Draft. Three days, seven rounds, 257 picks of pure chaos. As for the Jets, the goal seems to be to prepare the team for contention in 2027. They have 4 picks in the top 45 this year, along with three first-rounders next year. The first part of Darren Mougey’s vision will come to fruition this weekend, as the Jets look to fill their needs and flesh out the roster. This exercise will go through every pick the Jets have or may pick up along the way in an effort to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.
Jets 7-Round Mock Draft: Part 1 of Darren Mougey’s Ultimate Plan
Round 1 – Pick #2 – Arvell Reese, LB/EDGE, Ohio State
This has been a heavily, heavily debated pick over the last couple of weeks. Many draft analysts/plugged-in media folks have said it will be Texas Tech EDGE, David Bailey. The Jets local beat have leaned towards my pick, Arvell Reese. The reason Reese makes more sense here is due to the 2027 vision. The Jets won’t be “punting away” the 2026 season; they will be trying to win. However, it is clear that 2027 is in their focus. If they are looking towards then to truly begin competing, why not take the chance on the developmental player with an uber-high ceiling? Reese, at his floor, is a great stand-up linebacker who can occasionally rush the passer. At his ceiling, he’s one of the most athletic full-time EDGE rushers in football. At Ohio State, he barely even knew what he was doing as a rusher and still found great success in limited reps. Imagine him with Karl Dunbar and a full season of developing.
I was watching film with Arvell Reese and then he told me he never spent time at Ohio State working on pass rush and pretty much was making up all his moves on instinct alone. pic.twitter.com/bd4DHu967E
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) April 9, 2026
TRADE: Round 1 – Pick #12 – Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
Trade Details – NYJ receives #12, #92, and a 2027 3rd, DAL receives #16 and #44
In this trade, the Jets give Dallas their 2nd round pick back, but they get back into the 3rd round this year. They also get a second selection in next year’s third round. After all of that, the Jets select Jordyn Tyson. Tyson is one of the premier talents in this draft at wide receiver, a position the Jets need. The caveat is that injuries have held him back throughout his college career. He held a workout on April 17th, and everything seemed to go very smoothly as he displayed his talents to NFL teams. With the Jets looking towards 2027, they can look to manage Tyson through 2026 and strengthen him for the push next year. If they get a healthy Tyson, he and Garrett Wilson create an incredible duo to contend with.
Round 2 – Pick #33 – Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
Cornerback is an underrated need for the Jets, both on the inside and outside. Brandon Stephens, Azareye’h Thomas, and Jarvis Brownlee Jr. were all solid, but two of those players suffered season-ending injuries. Stephens also happens to have an out in his contract after this season. So, taking all of this into consideration, the Jets select Terrell. He has NFL bloodlines, as his brother A.J. is currently the CB1 of the Atlanta Falcons. Terrell would immediately sure up the CB room as he has inside/outside versatility. He falls to round 2 due to some injury concerns in the pre-draft process that caused him to run a slower 40-yard dash at his pro day. However, his game speed is much faster.
One player on our polarizing list: CB Avieon Terrell, due to his 4.64 40.
But he was dealing with a hamstring issue at his pro day, which is why one team told me they did not consider the time and know he’s fast enough, particularly out of breakshttps://t.co/JqeoaIUa1C pic.twitter.com/fQGzZPlG50
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) April 10, 2026
Round 3 – Pick #92 – Kaleb Elarms-Orr, LB, TCU
On their final pick of Day 2, the Jets sure up the linebacking core by adding Kaleb Elarms-Orr. He’s a true run-stuffer that flies around the field with ferocity, similar to the recently departed Quincy Williams. Despite being slightly undersized himself (234 pounds), he comes with better size than current Jets starter, Jamien Sherwood, who is less than 220 pounds. Under the mentorship of Demario Davis, he could become quite the player.
Round 4 – Pick #103 – Sam Roush, TE, Stanford
Despite adding a tight end on Day 2 last year in Mason Taylor and extending Jeremy Ruckert, the Jets should add a TE in this deep class at the position. Here, they go with Sam Roush, who will immediately contribute as a blocker when called upon. He’s probably better than Ruckert in this regard, who has no guaranteed money on his contract after 2026. There’s also some familiarity here with new OC Frank Reich.
Round 4 – Pick #140 – Michael Taafee, S, Texas
Taafee is the exact type of player the Jets should look to add on Day 3 at the safety position. He’s incredibly smart and could learn a lot behind Minkah Fitzpatrick, Dane Belton, Aaron Glenn, and the rest of the coaching staff.
Round 5 – Pick #179 – Cyrus Allen, WR, Cincinnati
The Jets double-dip at wideout, picking up Cyrus Allen. Allen is a slot-only type of receiver, but is elite in that role. He had 13 touchdowns during his breakout 2025 campaign with the Bearcats.
Round 6 – Pick #210 – Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota State University
The Jets, while invested in this QB class, should not take one within the first 4 rounds if they plan on getting one in 2027. So, they opt to address it here in Round 6 with Cole Payton. Payton is a great athlete with the ball in his hands as a runner, and he also flashed with some really nice throws in college.
Round 7 – Pick #228 – Tyre West, DE, Tennessee
The Jets add to the EDGE room late in the draft with a player they’ve done a good bit of homework on. West was a career rotational player at Tennessee who produced multiple sacks in all 4 seasons.
More interest from the Jets in Tennessee DL Tyre West, who previously visited the team for a 30 in early March.
Following today’s Pro Day in Knoxville, New York also hosted West for a private lunch, per source. Name to know in the Day 3 bucket.
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) March 31, 2026
Round 7 – Pick #242 – Trey Smack, K, Florida
To cap it off, the Jets get a kicker in Trey Smack from Florida. The team lost Nick Folk in free agency to the Falcons, who was very good for New York in 2026. Smack had an 81.8% hit rate on field goals in 2025 and would look to compete with veteran Cade York for the starting job.
