The New York Jets have eight draft picks, including the No. 7 overall pick, in the 2025 NFL Draft. So far this offseason, they have made big acquisitions. Signing what they hope could be a solid quarterback in Justin Fields, OL Josh Myers, who is Fields’ former teammate, and young safety Andre Cisco holding down the back end. They have also signed Derrick Nnadi from the Chiefs to clog the defensive middle, cornerback Brandon Stephens, and other depth signings to round out their moves. But, there are holes on this roster that need to be filled.
For me, and my philosophy, you take the best available player a majority of the time, when it comes to the draft. It just so happens that a lot of positions of need for the Jets, and the draft has an abundance of them.
Here, I’ll go over my perfect draft for the Jets, and what I would do in their situation. We’ll have trade-ups, trade downs, and acquire a lot of talented players. At the bottom, we will have an overview of the draft choices, but the future picks being acquired will be in the reading. Now let’s start with our first pick.
Day 1: Select Top Talent and Fill Need
A lot of mock drafts will be asking for the Jets to select Penn State TE Tyler Warren with their first selection. This would make a lot of sense if there weren’t others down the board that could fit exactly what they’re looking for. Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan at pick No. 7 is what they should do. Offensive line is a need, especially at the right tackle position, but similar to tight end, we can find some later.
Losing Davante Adams is the big reason for selecting McMillan here. Justin Fields isn’t what many would see as a prototypical passer. He likes to use his legs, and make plays. Having Tetairoa and Garret Wilson on the outsides might give him new confidence to trust his receivers, unleashing a new player that hasn’t been shown yet.
A trade back at pick 7 could be ideal as well. I’m just not sure who would be willing to move up and give draft capital, especially with this deep class.
Day 2: Fix the Holes
Now on Day 2, we have the Jets making two major moves. Let’s discuss those right away, starting with our trade back from pick 42. At this pick, the Jets should be looking to secure their opposite tackle from Olu Fashanu. Josh Conerly Jr. would be the perfect fit, but odds are he’ll be gone by there. There aren’t too many more players who I’d love to take here for the team, so trading back to acquire depth is the move. We trade pick 42 to the Seahawks for 52, and acquire pick 137, along with a next year 5th rounder.
With pick 52, we take the talented run-stopper Alfred Collins from Texas. Derrick Nnadi is a short-term bandaid, while Collins can be a long-term player for this defensive line. He pairs up with Quinnen Williams to be a great interior on this young defensive line, all while still acquiring talent later down in the board with a fifth-round pick. This should feel like a no-brainer for the team if there is no tackle that they covet, unless Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey have other plans.
The second move we make is to trade back up, and acquire pick 97 and a 2026 seventh-rounder (Jaguars) from the Vikings, for picks 110, 162, and 207. But just before they make this move up in the draft, they take another Texas talent, Gunnar Helm, at pick 73. Helm is the perfect safety blanket for Justin Fields, who now has weapons all over the field. 11 and 21 personnel would be heavily used in this scenario, ensuring their best players are on the field at all times.
Moving up to fill a hole the team wanted to in the second round is necessary, as they look to draft a guy who can start from Day 1. Ozzy Trapilo out of Boston College is the pick. Trapilo is an extremely talented pass blocker, who with great size, can mold into being good in the run. He looks phenomenal on tape and would be an amazing selection to have on the line amongst their young group.
Day 3: Quality Depth and Drafting Potential
With these moves being made, the Jets are left with three picks for the final four rounds (Acquired a 5th and 7th next year). If there were other plays who ended up falling in the draft, we could see the Jets using some of next year’s capital to move up. But in this mock we did not move up, allowing for more draft picks next season. So without any more moves in this draft, let’s head to our 4th round selection.
Oluwafemi Oladejo is a very talented player out of UCLA. He is one of my personal favorites in the draft, based on round projection and talent. He is an extremely lengthy and bendy player, who will be outstanding in an Aaron Glenn scheme. They have some contracts coming up soon on the edge, and if Oladejo pans out they might be able to save some money there. If not, they will have a good rotational edge rusher to take the load off of some guys with an injury-ridden past.
Now at pick No. 145, we look at a position that the Jets haven’t had great talent in for a while. Safety. They made a big acquisition there this offseason, in Andre Cisco, but he is only on a one-year contract. With this pick, Kitan Crawford out of Nevada finds his way on the team. Another great athlete, who at worst will be a great special teams player for their below-average unit. He is small for the position, but his athletic ability will be able to make up for his lack of physicality. In my mind, I imagine him being an average ball-hawking safety in the deep third, which is phenomenal value for the 5th round. Kitan Crawford has been slept on, and whoever selects him will be pleasantly surprised at the player they are getting.
Finally, we end off this draft taking another defensive player. C.J. Mosley has been released, and we need another linebacker in the mix. Adding Jamon Dumas-Johnson to the linebacking corps ensures versatility, speed, and youth for this roster. He, along with Crawford will be used on the special teams, but they are much more than that. The Kentucky linebacker is also undersized, but he is not afraid to get his body in the way. Pick 186 is no slouch, and could end up being a key contributor if one of the starters goes down.
Complete Seven-Round Mock Draft
Round 1: Pick #7 – Wide Receiver; Tetairoa McMillan
Round 2: Pick #52 – Defensive Tackle; Alfred Collins
Round 3: Pick #73 – Tight End; Gunnar Helm
Round 3: Pick #97 – Offensive Tackle; Ozzy Trapilo
Round 4: Pick #137 – Edge Rusher; Oluwafemi Oladejo
Round 5: Pick #145 – Safety; Kitan Crawford
Round 6: Pick #186 – Linebacker; Jamon Dumas-Johnson