Jets insider reveals intriguing QB target for Day 3 of 2026 NFL Draft

The New York Jets did an incredible job addressing their biggest needs during the first two rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft, adding a premier pass rusher in Texas Tech's David Bailey, two much-needed pass catchers in Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq and Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr., and a scrappy cornerback in Indiana's D'Angelo Ponds.

There's one position they've yet to address, and that's at quarterback. Of course, Geno Smith is the unquestioned starter heading into the season. Aaron Glenn made that abundantly clear. But there's next to no depth behind the former Las Vegas Raider.

As things currently stand, the Jets would head into Week 1 with Smith as their starter and either Bailey Zappe or Brady Cook as QB2. That's not a very good insurance plan.

New York is incredibly likely to take a swing at one of the quarterbacks in the later rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft, but which one could it be?

Zack Rosenblatt links Jets to LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier

The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt named LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier as a name to keep an eye on in the later rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft and believes he could be a target as early as the fourth round.

"He's (Nussmeier) tough, he's competitive. He has really good accuracy. He's kind of a gunslinger. He can fit into tight windows. It gets him into trouble sometimes because he tries to do that all the time. He's got really good intangibles. He throws, he threw a 2.48-second average time to throw...They did work him out privately. We don't know what they thought about it."

Zack Rosenblatt

After Ty Simpson went off the board earlier than expected at No. 13 to the Los Angeles Rams, and the Arizona Cardinals took Carson Beck at the start of the third round, there's no clear-cut next quarterback guaranteed to come off the board. It will likely come down to each team's personal preference. Could the Jets' preference be Nussmeier?

"If he's there in the fourth round at the top, like, I don't know, I'm intrigued by him as a prospect. He was a guy that was supposed to be a first-round pick a year ago. He's had some injury stuff as well. At that point, you're going to get a flawed quarterback, and so I liked the idea of him as a developmental backup."

Zack Rosenblatt

It remains to be seen exactly which quarterback the Jets will make a run at one on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft, but it's more likely than not that they come out with at least one.