Jets’ recent draft history proves their Day 2 curse is alive and well

For years, the New York Jets were haunted by what many fans called their infamous second-round draft curse. From Christian Hackenberg to Denzel Mims, the Jets' second-round disasters became a running punchline around the league.

To their credit, the Jets may have finally put that reputation to rest in recent drafts. Joe Tippmann looks like one of the NFL's best young centers and a building block of a revamped offensive line. Breece Hall's future may be in question, but his 2023 season alone was enough to break the so-called curse.

However, if the second-round demons are gone, it looks like a new one has emerged. A closer look at the team’s recent draft history shows that Day 2 is still a minefield, only now, it’s the third round that has become the trouble spot.

That truth was highlighted by the team's release of 2024 third-round pick Malachi Corley last week just one year after selecting him 65th overall. But the Corley catastrophe is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to recent Jets third-round picks.

Malachi Corley release highlights new Jets third-round draft curse

The Jets didn't have a third-round pick in 2023, so we have to go back to the team's famous 2022 draft class to further examine this "curse." That year, the Jets selected Long Island native Jeremy Ruckert with the 101st overall pick.

Jeremy Ruckert was drafted as an athletic blocking tight end with untapped receiving upside — the kind of player many believed would be a more productive pro player than he was at Ohio State. Unfortunately, this hometown hero story hasn’t played out the way Jets fans imagined.

Ruckert has managed just 35 catches for 264 yards in three seasons in the league, and his performance as a blocker has been even more underwhelming. The Lindenhurst product posted an abysmal 39.0 Pro Football Focus run-block grade in 2024, ranking 73rd out of 74 qualifiers.

It doesn't get much better the further back in time you go. The Jets once again didn't have a third-round pick in 2021, but in 2020, the team used Day 2 picks to select safety Ashtyn Davis and defensive lineman Jabari Zuniga

While Davis had his moments as a rotational safety and core special-teamer, Zuniga played just 11 games with the Jets and was out of football by his third NFL season. He retired in June 2023 with just one career sack to his name.

The 2019 third round was even worse for the Jets. They used relatively premium assets on the likes of defensive end Jachai Polite and offensive tackle Chuma Edoga. Polite was cut before Week 1 of his first season, while Edoga didn't even make it through his rookie contract with the Jets.

The Jets' 2018 third-round pick, Nathan Shepherd, was probably their best in recent years. Shepherd was never anything more than a replacement-level rotational defensive tackle with the Jets, but the Fort Hays State product at least received a second contract with the team and has gone on to start for the Saints in the years since his departure.

He's at least a better Jets draft pick than the team's 2017 third-round selection, wide receiver ArDarius Stewart. The Alabama product played just one season with the Jets, managing six catches before he was waived the following year. He'd never appear in another NFL game.

Jordan Jenkins briefly broke the third-round curse as the team’s 2016 Day 2 pick, carving out a respectable run as a starter for a few years. But the curse quickly resurfaces with names like Lorenzo Mauldin in 2015 and Dexter McDougle in 2014.

It’s safe to say the third round hasn’t been kind to the Jets over the last decade if Jordan Jenkins and Nathan Shepherd are the best examples they can point to. The team will be counting on 2025 third-round pick Azareye’h Thomas to finally put an end to this curse once and for all.

But until that happens, every Day 2 pick will carry the weight of Jets draft-day despair on its shoulders.

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