The 20 best draft picks in NY Jets franchise history

The NY Jets have had somewhat of a tumultuous draft history as a franchise. For every pick that's developed into a long-term cornerstone, the Jets have seemingly had multiple turn out to be absolute duds.

Those duds have felt more commonplace in recent memory, although there are plenty to look back on over the years as well.

We're talking about players like Kyle Brady, Vernon Gholston, Blair Thomas, and Dee Milliner — those who the Jets once had high hopes for, only for their legacies to forever be associated with one word: bust.

Yes, the Jets have had their fair share of draft busts throughout their 60-plus years of existence. They likely have more infamous draft busts than your average NFL organization.

However, it hasn't all been doom and gloom for the Jets. While many seem to focus on the Jets' various draft-day misses, they've had quite a few hits over the years as well.

These hits range from first-round picks who more than lived up to their potential to late-round additions who exceeded any and all expectations. Those are the players we're going to highlight in this list.

Now, not every Jets legend was actually drafted by the team. The likes of Don Maynard, Winston Hill, Curtis Martin, Kevin Mawae, Wayne Chrebet, and Larry Grantham all had storied careers with the organization, but none of them were actually drafted by New York.

A few honorable mentions that just missed out on the list before we start: Greg Buttle, Matt Snell, Marty Lyons, Dave Herman, Ken O'Brien, Jim Sweeney, Muhammad Wilkerson, and Leon Washington.