NFL Draft Order if season ended today: Jets could land top-10 pick after another loss
By Justin Fried
Yes, NY Jets fans, it's that time of the year again. It's draft season.
The Jets' season may not officially be over following the team's embarrassing 33-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 11, but for all intents and purposes, it's hard to imagine the Jets playing many more meaningful games this year.
Barring a completely unexpected run of wins that eventually leads to the return of Aaron Rodgers, this Jets team isn't going anywhere in 2023. That means it's probably time to start looking ahead to the 2024 NFL Draft.
It sucks. I don't want to be writing this article. I'd much rather be talking about the Jets possibly ending their 12-year playoff drought, but reality has set in. Barring a miracle, this team isn't making the playoffs.
That leads us to the draft. The Jets will retain their first-round pick as a result of Rodgers' injury, meaning that they have an opportunity to land a pretty high draft pick next year. But where do they stand now following three consecutive losses?
Where do the NY Jets pick in the 2024 NFL Draft?
If the season were to end today, the 4-6 Jets would have the 11th overall pick in next year's draft. The 4-6 Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers would all pick ahead of the Jets by virtue of the strength of schedule tiebreaker.
The Jets have the slight strength of schedule tiebreaker over the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams, who both also sit at 4-6. It's a jumbled pack in the middle of the NFL standings, but the Jets have an opportunity to climb quite a bit over the next few weeks.
Following a Black Friday game against the Miami Dolphins this week, the Jets and Falcons square off in a game that could have serious draft position ramifications. While the Falcons remain in the mix in a weak NFC South, the Jets' season might be well and truly over by that point.
An excellent Jets defense will likely keep the team competitive in most games, but the inept state of the team's offense has proven to be too much to overcome.
The Jets have an opportunity to finish with a pretty high draft pick if they string together a few losses over the coming weeks.