Chaotic mock draft sends former 4th pick to NY in universe that almost makes sense

Folks, it's officially mock draft season, which means we’re knee-deep in wild scenarios, galaxy-brain trade charts, and hypotheticals that only make sense if you squint hard enough. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell took that to its logical—and entertaining—extreme by releasing his annual “every pick is a trade” mock draft, where each selection exists in its own parallel universe.

No one’s safe. Not the New York Jets. Not even Kyle Pitts.

The Jets, picking at No. 7, find themselves in one of Barnwell’s alternate timelines. But in a surprise twist, this chaotic concept actually might stumble into something that resembles "making sense." In Barnwell’s world, New York trades down with the Atlanta Falcons, landing pick No. 15, a 2026 third-rounder… and Kyle Pitts.

For us visual learners out there:

Kyle Pitts—the unicorn tight end once hailed as a generational prospect. The same guy the Falcons took with the No. 4 pick in 2021. The same guy who has, well, not quite lived up to that billing. But still only 24 years old, Pitts heading to the Jets in this “what-if” draft might be the best fake move we’ve seen all month.

Would trading out of the seventh overall pick make sense for the Jets?

Barnwell framed the trade like this:

“This trade would implicitly value Pitts as being worth the No. 66 pick in a typical draft. I’d argue that’s generous given his performance the past two seasons, but he’s still a former top-five pick at a position that regularly needs development.”

And that’s where it gets interesting. Because, as strugglesome as Pitts has looked at times, the Jets’ tight end room is much worse. Like significantly worse. With Tyler Conklin beach-living with the LA Chargers, New York is rolling out Stone Smartt and Jeremy Ruckert. That’s shouldn't be a thing.

Justin Fields, for all his tools, is going to need someone besides Garrett Wilson to throw the ball to. Pitts gives them a high-upside safety valve in the middle of the field who at least has the athletic profile to cause problems. It’s not hard to imagine Fields finding a rhythm with a guy like Pitts if given the right opportunity.

And let’s be honest: if this were an actual universe, the Jets trading back to 15 and getting Pitts and an extra pick in 2026 might just be the most sensible thing they’ve done in years—possibly decades.

Call it chaos. Call it fiction. But Barnwell’s alternate universe may have accidentally solved one of Gang Green’s biggest problems in 2025, and that’s at least something.

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