The New York Jets have a plethora of draft capital at their disposal this year and will look to bring in some quality players to aid their rebuild ahead of the 2022 campaign. The Jets will be active during the first two days of the draft, looking to use the draft to plug up various needs on the roster. We're taking a look at the Jets and what the franchise might do on draft day with our very own mock draft.
The Jets need to make upgrades on all sides of the ball this year, and they'll have the opportunity to do just that with five picks in the first three rounds of the draft. While the rebuild is still far from complete, this year's draft will go a long way toward shaping the Jets' future outlook. The team has two picks in the top 10, which could be used to take playmakers on both offense and defense. After that, the team will have two second-round picks and one third-round pick which can be used to buff up other areas of need.
With that in mind, here is our New York Jets 2022 NFL Mock Draft.
Jets 2022 NFL Mock Draft
Round 1 – 4th Pick Overall: Sauce Gardner (CB)
Despite adding DJ Reed in the offseason on a three-year deal, the Jets' need for another quality cornerback is very apparent. As far as defensive backs go, there's not a better fit in the draft for the Jets than Gardner. While the argument can be made that Kyle Hamilton is on par with Gardner from a talent perspective, getting a top-tier cornerback will prove more valuable to the Jets than opting for a safety. Gardner didn't give up a single touchdown pass during his college career at Cincinnati, and he has the confidence to take over as an immediate starter in the Jets' secondary.
Round 1 – 1oth Pick Overall: Drake London (WR)
Getting weapons around Zach Wilson has to be a priority for the Jets this offseason, and they could look to do that with the 10th overall pick. This choice will likely be between London and Alabama star Jameson Williams, however, the latter is coming off an ACL injury and is set to miss a big chunk of his rookie season. London is a playmaking wideout who could provide the Jets with another young threat to pair opposite Elijah Moore.
Round 2 – 35th Pick Overall: Jaquan Brisker (S)
Safety will be a position the Jets need to address in the draft after watching Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye leave the team over the past few seasons. The Jets signed Jordan Whitehead in the offseason, but could still stand to further improve at safety. Assuming they don't roll with Kyle Hamilton in the first round, Brisker is the perfect pick for the Jets in the early second round. If Brisker is on the board at 35, the Jets need to lock him down, because there's a real chance the Penn State product won't make it to their next selection, just a few picks later.
Round 2 – 38th Pick Overall: Leo Chenal (LB)
Another area of need for the Jets is at linebacker, and using one of their early picks to fill that void would make a lot of sense for the team. Leo Chenal could be the ideal fit to take over the middle linebacker position after an impressive career at Wisconsin. His presence against the run would be massively beneficial for the Jets, who surrendered the fourth-most rushing yards per game last season.
Round 3 – 69th Pick Overall: Breece Hall (RB)
The Jets found a potential gem in RB Michael Carter during the 2021 NFL Draft and could be back in the mix for another young backfield member in 2022. Mike LaFleur prefers to operate with a committee approach at running back, so it would make sense for the Jets to look to snag Carter's counterpart in the third round. Hall is an established scorer, having found the end zone 50 times throughout his three-year college career, including back-to-back 20+ touchdown seasons at Iowa State.
Round 4 – 111th Pick Overall: Rasheed Walker (OL)
If the Jets don't end up drafting an offensive lineman within the first three rounds, they'll absolutely be looking to fill the need shortly after. Rasheed Walker could be a solid pickup for the Jets in the fourth round and could serve as a rotational piece during his rookie season. The Jets' OL remains an area of need, but Joe Douglas has done well in order to buff up the unit. Waiting until the mid-rounds to go after an offensive lineman is no longer a death sentence for the Jets, and they may look to exploit that.
Round 4 – 117th Pick Overall: Makai Polk (WR)
It wouldn't be too surprising if the Jets went with their second wide receiver of the draft before this pick. However, if Douglas prefers to focus on other areas in the early part of the draft, the Jets could still land ap potential stud in Polk in the fourth round. Polk was incredibly productive for Mississippi State last year, racking up 1,046 yards, 105 receptions, and 9 touchdowns.
Round 5 – 146th Pick Overall: Josh Jobe (CB)
Jobe could very well be off the board before this pick, but his pre-draft rankings see him getting taken somewhere around the 4th or 5th round. If Jobe does fall into the Jets' lap at No. 146, adding him to the mix would be a huge get for Douglas, who has quite the repertoire of finding talented DBs late into the draft. Michael Carter, Brandin Echols, and Jason Pinnock, all late-round picks, look to be fine players, and the Jets could add another impact player in the secondary in Jobe.
Round 5 – 163rd Pick Overall: Otito Ogbonnia (DT)
The Jets will need to pick up someone in the trenches during the draft, and while waiting until the fifth round might not be ideal, it may prove to be the best route for the Jets, unless they want to spend big on the position early. Ogbonnia could be a great depth piece for the Jets, who have enough heads on the defensive line to let the UCLA product use his rookie season in order to develop.
Follow Us
Subscribe