2-round 2026 NFL Mock Draft if Jets land star quarterback in offseason

The New York Jets look like a much better football team in the last few months, as they have won three of their last five games after polishing off a Week 13 victory against the Atlanta Falcons. However, fans who are looking for a franchise quarterback are once again starting to grouse and complain.

As the Jets keep winning games, the only way for them to end up with a chance at drafting one of the top quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft is to either hope they slide down the pecking order or use some of their extra picks to pull off a trade up in the order.

If the Jets can land a quarterback in the offseason that doesn't put them in a position to be forced into selecting one of the signal-calling prospects, this 2-round 2026 NFL Mock Draft will be a good way to ensure the roster around this new field general is so idiot-proof that the coaching staff can get this team to start winning again.

2-Round 2026 NY Jets NFL Mock Draft

Round 1, Pick 7: Caleb Downs, SAF, Ohio State

Downs may be the best player in the entire draft, which speaks to the quality of the prospect he is as a safety. Fans may be against picking a safety this high due to Jamal Adams flashbacks, but there seems to be a minuscule chance that Downs turns out to be a bad NFL player.

The Jets' lack of quality safety play outside of some Malachi Moore flashes is one of the main reasons the team has yet to intercept a pass. Downs is a ballhawk, leader, and defensive back savant who could be the face of Aaron Glenn's defense in the same way Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph were in Detroit.

Round 1, Pick 23: Denzel Boston, WR, Washington

The Jets will likely not hear any arguments from fans if they draft a talent like USC's Makai Lemon, but this offense might be better off if they land a true X-receiver who can use his size and versatility down the field. Boston, stylistically, might be the perfect type of player for New York to target.

The Jets may not even need to spend big money on a veteran wide receiver in the offseason if they can bring in the physical, reliable Boston. With Garrett Wilson still deadly, Adonai Mitchell getting better every week, and John Metchie III proving his worth, that is one of the better young wide receiver rooms in the AFC.

Round 2, Pick 38: CJ Allen, LB, Georgia

The Jets have received some extremely up-and-down play from Jamien Sherwood at inside linebacker, and Quincy Williams seems destined for an exit. The Jets need to find a replacement, preferably one who can be much better at covering bigger players and tight ends.

Allen is a premium athlete with some vice grips on his arms that make him one of the better tacklers in this class. Allen should be an instant starter on a defense that needs more players to fit Glenn's scheme, not Robert Saleh's scheme.

Round 2, Pick 48: Joshua Josephs, EDGE, Tennessee

If the Jets can land a quarterback without ruining their cap space, they could land a new starting edge rusher next to Jermaine Johnson that puts the terrible run defense of Will McDonald into a designated pass rush role. Why not add one more extremely speedy sack artist to the mix?

Josephs has a freakish 82-inch wingspan and plays like someone who is shot out of a cannon on almost every rep. Like McDonald, he may never set the edge very well, but the Jets can mitigate that in free agency and lean into Joseph's oodles of pass rush potential.