The New York Jets Mock 2025 NFL Draft (v1)

On Sunday, I posted the 2025 New York Jets NFL Draft Guide which exhibited that the Jets came out of free agency still needing five starters, including three on offense (RT, WR2 and TE) and two on defense (DT and SS).

With that many needs, and just three premium (defined as “Top 100 Picks”) selections, my general advice would be for the Jets to consider trading down to acquire more assets. Of course, that depends on whether one of the top players slip to #7. Here are three non-QBs that seem to be the consensus on top of most draft boards, if any of these are available, the Jets must pounce:

1. Abdul Carter (DE, Penn State)
2. Travis Hunter (WR/CB, Colorado)
3. Mason Graham (DT, Michigan)

Carter doesn’t fill a need as the Jets have Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald IV slotted to be starters on the edge, but his ability to get to the passer is the second most coveted skill (other than franchise QB) in the NFL. Aaron Glenn would find a way to get him on the field, possibly by moving Johnson inside on passing downs, like Robert Saleh did with John Franklin-Myers.

Heisman-winning, two-way sensation Hunter would probably slot in as WR2 next to Garrett Wilson and find his way on the defense in dime coverage. However, the Jets could flip the script, use him as the full-time CB2 next to Sauce Gardner, move free agent pickup Brandon Stephens to SS to fill that need, and work Hunter into the offense in a limited capacity in his rookie year (i.e., trick plays, 4 receiver sets).

Realistically, the Jets’ only chance of acquiring Carter and Hunter would be moving up in the draft, which is not ideal for a team needing to come out of this process with 5 starters. While Graham is widely expected to be off the board early, some recent mocks have him slipping, especially if the top 2 QBs, Cam Ward (Miami, FL), Shedeur Sanders (Colorado), are joined on the top of the board by fast-rising QB Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss) or RB Ashton Jeanty (Boise State). Graham is a disruptive force in the middle of a defense and has a non-stop motor. If he’s available, pairing him with Quinnen Williams would be an easy decision.

Would we consider a QB in the first round?
The Jets have not made the playoffs since 2010. The quickest way back is for Glenn to establish a running game, led by his dual-threat QB, and a Top 10 defense. My preference is for the Jets to use their assets to fill those 5 glaring needs and dedicate this season to establishing Glenn’s program and trying to win 10 games to break the playoff slump.

However, if Glenn and GM Darren Mougey fall in love with a QB like Dart or Tyler Shough (Louisville), we would be ok with selecting them IF they are able to trade down to acquire more picks. For instance, Dart should be available in the mid-to-late first round and Shough should be available in the mid-to-late second round. Also, the Jets supposedly have their eyes on Kyle McCord (Syracuse) who should be available in the third round.

Having said that, I am bullish on Justin Fields, and I’m currently not in love with any of the QB’s so I’m advocating for the Jets to hold off on using a premium pick on one until they see how Fields does in 2025.

Without further ado, let’s fire up the simulation. The New York Jets Mock 2025 NFL Draft (v1) has been created by using Pro Football Network’s “NFL Draft Simulator”. The simulator makes all picks, except for the Jets. Yours truly will make those.

The First Six Picks

1. Tennessee Titans select Cam Ward, QB, Miami (FL)
2. Cleveland Browns select Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
3. New York Giants select Will Campbell, OT, LSU
4. New England Patriots select Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
5. Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
6. Armand Membou, OT, Missouri

The Jets Are On The Clock
The simulator threw me for a loop as I was expecting to have to decide between OT Membou, TE Tyler Warren (Penn State) or trading down. Even though QB Sanders was available, the trade offers we received were quite pedestrian so we stuck to our guns and selected Mason Graham, the best player on our board.

Final Results

1. 1^st Round (7^th overall) Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
2. 2^nd Round (42^nd overall) Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota
3. 3^rd Round (73^rd overall) Jaylin Noel, WR, Iowa State
4. 4^th Round (110^th overall) Elijah Arroyo, TE Miami (FL)
5. 5^th Round (145^th overall) Jaylin Lane, WR, Virginia Tech
6. 5^th Round (162^nd overall) Sebastian Castro, S, Iowa
7. 6^th Round (186^th overall) Tyler Shough, QB, Louisville
8. 6^th Round (207^th overall) Ty Hamilton, DT, Ohio State

Final Thoughts
As it turned out, despite wanting to acquire more picks, none of the trade offers at any point during the draft warranted moving off the best player available. That will probably change in a subsequent mock, but v1 saw the Jets making 8 selections in the same spots they owned entering the draft.

This mock seemed to be realistic with one gigantic exception. A few months back, the thought of Shough being available at pick #186 was considered likely. He’s 25 years old, played 7 college seasons but only 42 games due to a myriad of injuries. However, he’s been rising up in mock drafts, for example, legendary draft guru Mel Kipper, Jr. has him ranked as his 4^th best QB. It’s very doubtful he’d be available on day three.

ICYMI Link “New York Jets Need 10 Starters in Free Agency & NFL Draft”