Jets suggested to use first-round pick on WR after missing out on Carnell Tate

If the New York Jets do not use their first of two first-round picks on Ohio State receiver Carnell Tate, NFL Media’s Mike Band believes the team should instead target USC standout Makai Lemon.

Lemon, the reigning Fred Biletnikoff Award winner, is widely considered the No. 2 receiver in the upcoming draft behind Tate. The 5-foot-11, 192-pound Lemon frustrated opposing defenses throughout the 2025 season, finishing with 79 catches, 1,156 yards, and 11 all-purpose touchdowns.

“His competitive style feels aligned with Aaron Glenn’s team-building vision,” Band explained in his March 26 mock draft, “and there’s an easy stylistic parallel to the Amon-Ra St. Brown mold Glenn saw up close in Detroit.”

Band also predicted that the Jets will use the No. 2 pick on Ohio State edge rusher/linebacker and fellow All-American Arvell Reese. Lemon would join quarterback Sam Darnold (No. 3 in 2018) and offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker (No. 14 in 2021) as USC players that the Jets have selected in the first round over the past decade.

As for Tate, Band mocked him to the New Orleans Saints at No. 8.

Makai Lemon would fill the Jets’ immediate need for another starting receiver

Lemon won’t solve the Jets’ decades-old quarterback problem, but he would at least arrive in New York with the talent needed to become an impactful receiver. Outside of Garrett Wilson, the Jets currently lack a proven receiver, though Adonai Mitchell flashed after arriving via the Sauce Gardner trade. Mitchell recorded 24 catches for 301 yards and two touchdowns in eight games and should enter training camp in the starting lineup.

With nine total draft picks, it will be interesting to see when — and if, though it feels more like a “when” — the Jets select a receiver. Besides Tate and Lemon, Band also included Arizona State’s Jordan Tyson (No. 21 to the Steelers) and Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr. (No. 24 to the Browns) in his mock draft.

Possible Day 2 options could include Washington’s Denzel Boston, Alabama’s Germie Bernard, Georgia’s Zachariah Branch, and Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion. The Jets’ second Day 2 pick is No. 44, which they acquired from Dallas in the Quinnen Williams trade.

There is no indication that the Jets plan to sign a receiver before the draft begins on April 23. Former 49ers wideout Jauan Jennings is arguably the best receiver remaining, in part because of Stefon Diggs’ age and ongoing legal issues.