4 prospects the Jets may have been eyeing at Notre Dame Pro Day

Breaking news: the New York Jets need talent... a lot of talent. And that goes for just about every single position on the field. Both the offense and defense need a significant infusion of ability, as the roster is almost completely bereft of starting-caliber pros.

Luckily for Gang Green, the NFL draft is right around the corner. There's no better way to reshape your depth chart than by bringing on a bunch of young talent from the draft. And with nine picks, including four in the first two rounds, there exists ample opportunity for Darren Mougey and company to commence this reshaping.

Today represents a crucial point in the scouting process, as Mougey, head coach Aaron Glenn, and new offensive coordinator Frank Reich, among others, are making their rounds at college pro days this week. Tuesday is Notre Dame day, so let's look at four young men the Jets will be paying very close attention to in South Bend.

Notre Dame prospects the Jets are likely keeping their eye on

WR Malachi Fields

This is the most obvious one to me. Outside of Garrett Wilson, the Jets have as bad a receiving corps as there is in football. Adonai Mitchell is not cutting it as a number two. Isaiah Williams is not cutting it as a number two. But Fields just might.

Aside from the PTSD of cheering for another "Fields," there's not much for Jets fans not to like about the rookie wideout. He's an exceptional talent who would perfectly accent what Wilson does on the other side.

Fields stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 220 pounds. And he uses every single pound of that total. He's a run blocker, something we all know Glenn loves. He's tough to bring down, averaging 5.3 yards after catch per reception. He brings in contested circus catches, with a 47.8% contested catch rate. He's a physical force, the perfect offset to Wilson's quick and shifty style of receiving.

He's also sure-handed, with just one drop last year. It's hard to imagine a better fit for New York. He might be a little too high for the 44th pick, but a trade that puts the Jets in the third round could make a lot of sense in this scenario.

G Billy Schrauth

One of the position groups that, if you can believe it, isn't a totally abject failure for the Jets is the offensive line. But that being said, it doesn't mean they're done building there either.

The signing of former Raider Dylan Parham did a lot to solidify the offensive line, something they needed once John Simpson and Alijah Vera-Tucker exited stage left. While he has a flexible background, he should slot in at left guard, allowing Josh Myers to remain at center and Joe Tippmann to stay at right guard.

While Tippmann has proven to excel in both pass and run blocking, settling into his newfound full-time home at guard, Josh Myers has been less effective. He maintained a 62.9 Pro Football Focus pass block grade in 2025, but just a 51.7 run block grade. In fact, he's never surpassed a 54 grade in that department.

For that reason, it can't hurt to add some reinforcement. And, given Myer's uncertainty, it can't hurt to add a potential long-term replacement as well.

This is where Billy Schrauth of Notre Dame could step in. In his three years on the offensive line in South Bend, Scrauth steadily improved his pass blocking, rising from a 66.3 grade to 79.8, up to 82.7 this past year. And he finished with a run blocking grade of 73.1. He's a massive kid with elite grip strength who controls opposing linemen's shoulders.

He's also a team captain, and the Jets can certainly use all the leadership they can find.

S Jalen Stroman

Minkah Fitzpatrick should do a ton to sure up the safety room. But outside of him are more questions than answers. Andre Cisco and Malachi Moore don't leave a whole lot to feel secure about. And at this stage of the Jets' rebuild, they shouldn't be drafting for need anyway.

One of the more crucial positions in the sport in terms of value, especially nowadays more than ever, is the safety spot. Notre Dame's Jalen Stroman is a safety who provides a lot of diversity and flexibility, and someone I could see fitting in nicely to most systems.

He's not going to play center field and consistently pick off opposing passes deep. But he's a physical hitter, an aggressive play reader and reactor, a run stuffer, and a possible nickel against tight ends and big wideouts. His 77.9 coverage grade is extraordinarily promising, but his 81.2 run defense grade is where he particularly stands out.

While he mostly lined up at free safety for the Fighting Irish, he truly excels at playing in the box. Despite some criticism that he relies too much on diving at the ball carrier's legs instead of form tackling, his tackling grade was still a respectable 65.6. In a lot of ways, he plays very similarly to Jamal Adams. And if he can hit those heights at some point, he could be a steal in later rounds.

QB CJ Carr

I bet you didn't expect to see this name, did you? In fact, I'm sure you didn't expect to see this position at all. At least not at Notre Dame.

Now, obviously, this is not a prospect for this upcoming draft. CJ Carr is just 20 years old and only has a single season of collegiate quarterbacking under his belt. But the Saline, Michigan, product showed immense potential in his first year as a starter.

He put up 24 touchdown passes to 6 interceptions. He finished with an 83.5 passing grade and 65.9 run grade. He's built well at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds. His average depth of target was 10.6, his turnover-worthy play percentage was comfortably low at 3.2%, and his big-time throw percentage was a healthy 6.5%. The talent is clear. Unfortunately, he isn't an option in the draft.

But he may be an option in future drafts. And if he's at pro day throwing to Malachi Fields, you're crazy to think Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn wouldn't be keeping their peripherals focused on Carr. Some day, the Jets are going to find their franchise QB.

And who knows? Maybe, it's CJ Carr.