The NY Jets, even after years of Joe Douglas-led mismanagement and trading away draft picks, have the opportunity to build one of the best young rosters in the AFC around new head coach Aaron Glenn and recently hired general manager Darren Mougey.
Once the Jets figure out what the quarterback situation will look like and the Aaron Rodgers questions are put to bed, Glenn and Mougey can go about building a roster that can compete with some of the best in the AFC. It will take some seriously advanced scouting from both of them to check that box.
The Jets need to get one more defensive back to fix a broken secondary and improve their defensive line. If they do that, which they could by following this 3-round NFL Mock Draft, Glenn could build a defense he could be proud of.
New York Jets 3-round post-Senior Bowl 2025 NFL Mock Draft
Round 1, Pick 7: Malaki Starks, SAF, Georgia
Picking a safety this high, especially one that had a very good final collegiate season after two great ones, could be a bit of a risk. However, everything about Starks' player profile suggests that he will be an instant starter and one of the safest picks in this class at any position.
Starks has tremendous speed and the best playmaking skills of any defensive back not named Travis Hunter in this class. The safety spot has been picked apart with ease by opposing defenses, and Starks has the potential to instantly lock down one of those two starting roles for a decade.
Round 2, Pick 42: Deone Walker, DT, Kentucky
The Jets went into the season with a very clear hole on their defensive line after a very busy offseason, and they spent the remainder of the season getting bullied on the ground. At 6-foot-7 and close to 340 pounds, Walker's massive size will help him become an ideal run-stuffing defensive tackle in the pros.
Walker's lack of high-end pass rush upside might take him out of the first-round talks, but he has been able to cause a bit more havoc in the interior than most bigger space-eaters. Walker put on a show in Mobile, and he makes a ton of sense for the Jets at this spot.
Round 3, Pick 92: Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami
The Jets have had a ton of success with both Miami tight ends and Day 2 pass-catchers named Elijah in the last decade, but Arroyo might be good enough to break both of those curses. At the Senior Bowl, Arroyo's speed was so impressive that he ended up running faster than many of the receivers in Mobile.
Arroyo is never going to be an elite blocker for the position, but his upside as a receiving tight end is stupendous. The Jets haven't poured many premium resources into the tight end position in the last few years, but Arroyo might be all they need to fix their subpar room at the moment.