7 forgotten former NY Jets draft picks still playing in the NFL

The NY Jets haven't exactly enjoyed the most success in the NFL Draft over the last decade or so (if not longer). While the team has managed to hit on a few players, there have been quite a few more misses than hits.

For every Folorunso Fatukasi or Bryce Hall, there's been a Darron Lee or a Jachai Polite. Despite their many misses, however, the Jets do have a number of former draft picks still floating around in the NFL.

Most of these players have bounced around from team to team with few holding down starting jobs, but they remain in the NFL regardless. Some of these players never found consistent playing time with the Jets but were able to find more success after leaving New York.

Let's set a few ground rules first. To qualify for this list, the player needs to have played in the NFL as recently as 2021. That means a player like Chad Hansen, who was technically on an NFL roster last year but didn't play, will not be included.

They don't necessarily have to be on an NFL roster at the time of writing as long as they appeared in at least one game last season.

We will also exclude any player drafted in 2019 or later as not enough time has passed for those players to truly be "forgotten." That means the likes of Blake Cashman and Blessuan Austin will be left out.

With all of that being said, let's take a look at seven former Jets draft picks who are still playing in the NFL.

7. Devin Smith, WR, NY Jets (2nd round - 2015)

The Jets believed they had added a game-changing, explosive playmaker to their offense when they drafted Devin Smith 37th overall in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Smith starred at Ohio State and his late-season heroics helped lead his team to a National Championship victory over Oregon. Hopes were high for the speedy wide receiver entering the NFL.

Unfortunately, injuries decimated what looked like a promising career.

The Ohio native suffered multiple torn ACLs and ended up catching just 10 passes in a Jets uniform. After three years out of football, he made a surprise return with the Dallas Cowboys in 2019 catching five passes for 113 yards and a touchdown.

Multiple practice squad stints later, he briefly found himself playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars last season. Smith didn't catch any passes, but he did appear in four games and play nine offensive snaps.

Smith is looking to find a new home once again this offseason, and at 30-years-old, his chances of making a significant impact anywhere else are extremely slim.

Still, you have to admire his ability to make multiple NFL comebacks. Given how his career went in New York, few would have expected that Smith would still be playing in the NFL past his 30th birthday.

6. Juston Burris, CB/S, NY Jets (4th round - 2016)

Of the players on this list, Juston Burris has perhaps found the most consistent post-Jets success. A fourth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Burris played quite a bit in his first two seasons with the Jets.

He was primarily used as the team's dime back and as a special-teamer, but he was given the chance to start on a couple of occasions. Ultimately, his career fizzled out in 2018 when he was released before joining the Cleveland Browns.

It was in Cleveland that Burris began somewhat of a career renaissance, switching positions to safety, and finding himself in a starting role before long.

He's spent the last two seasons with the Carolina Panthers, primarily serving as one of the team's starting safeties. With over 30 career starts under his belt, Burris has enjoyed modest success since leaving the Jets.

5. Lachlan Edwards, P, NY Jets (7th round - 2016)

The Jets have struggled to find a consistently reliable punter for quite some time now, but they hoped to buck that trend with the addition of Lachlan Edwards in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Drafted in the seventh round, the Australian-born Edwards didn't have the most powerful leg, but he was known for his accuracy and directional skills.

Ultimately, however, Edwards didn't last past his rookie contract in New York as the Jets opted to replace him with another rookie punter, Braden Mann, just a few years later.

After brief stints with the Bills, Chargers, and Lions, Edwards finally found his way back onto the field again in 2021, playing 10 games with the Panthers. Now a free agent again, the 30-year-old Edwards is looking for one more opportunity.

4. Oday Aboushi, OG, NY Jets (5th round - 2013)

You have to go all the way back to 2013 to remember when the Jets drafted offensive lineman Oday Aboushi in the fifth round. That was the same infamous draft that netted the Jets Dee Milliner and Sheldon Richardson.

Aboushi is a forgotten member of that draft class who only spent two years in New York before being waived. In total, Aboushi started 10 games for the Jets in place of the injured Brian Winters (another former Jets draft pick still in the NFL) in 2014 — and that was it.

Despite his brief stay in Florham Park, however, Aboushi has gone on to find a fair degree of NFL success over the last decade or so. He's started 47 career games with six different teams, although injuries have hurt his momentum.

Now approaching his 31st birthday, Aboushi is looking for a new team after entering the 2021 season as the Chargers' starting left guard.

3. Trenton Cannon, RB, NY Jets (6th round - 2018)

The speedy Trenton Cannon never amounted to much with the Jets. A sixth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Cannon received a few opportunities to establish himself as a regular in the offense, but he failed to impress when given the chance.

Cannon's most notable contributions to the Jets came on special teams where his speed helped him find success as a gunner. Still, after two seasons, the two sides parted ways.

Cannon has remained active in the NFL, though, most recently spending time with the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers last year. He's settled into a consistent role as a core special teamer, even if he isn't contributing much on offense.

The 27-year-old was picked up by the Tennessee Titans this past March and he will look to stick on their roster as a depth running back and special teamer.

2. Parry Nickerson, CB, NY Jets (6th round - 2018)

Of all the players on this list, perhaps the most surprising one still in the NFL is former sixth-round pick Parry Nickerson. Nickerson played in all 16 games as a rookie with the Jets in 2018, making two starts.

He was traded to the Seattle Seahawks the following summer for a conditional seventh-round pick, although he would never play for Seattle.

Instead, he appeared in four games with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019, one game with the Green Bay Packers in 2020, and four more games with the Minnesota Vikings this past year.

Now entering his fifth NFL season, Nickerson has played defensive snaps in just two games since his rookie season. But he's still hanging around the NFL and will look to earn a spot on the Vikings' roster this summer.

1. Dakota Dozier, OG, NY Jets (4th round - 2014)

It took Dakota Dozier seven years, but he's finally become a consistent NFL starter. The former Furman standout was drafted in the fourth round by the Jets way back in 2014 as part of the infamous "Idzik 12."

Nearly a decade later, Dozier is the last remaining member from that draft class, and he's not just some backup somewhere either. In fact, the 31-year-old started 16 games for the Vikings last year and is currently penciled in as the Bears' Week 1 starting right guard entering the 2022 season.

Is he a good starter? Not exactly, but he's managed to carve out a role as a versatile backup guard who can start in a pinch or for teams with bad offensive lines.

Of the 50 players drafted by the Jets between 2010 and 2016, Dozier is one of just three currently projected to be starters in 2022 (along with Leonard Williams and Demario Davis). That, in and of itself, is remarkable.