NY Jets make 3 first-round picks in DREAM 7-round 2022 NFL Mock Draft

The NY Jets will be looking to add blue-chip players at significant positions of need in this year's 2022 NFL Draft. And with four picks in the top-40 of the draft, they have more than enough draft capital to make that happen.

The Jets will be looking to add two top-tier prospects in the first round with a pair of top-10 picks. And with two high second-rounders, the team should have the chance to add a couple more instant-impact contributors.

This Jets team needs players who can step in and contribute from day one. Developmental prospects are fine in the later rounds, but if the Jets are going to win more than 4-5 games in a stacked AFC this season, they need to land multiple high-impact starters in this year's draft.

That's why it could be interesting to explore the idea of trading back into the first round, especially if the board falls in a certain way. That is precisely the scenario we're going to explore in this article.

We made use of Pro Football Network's mock simulator to run through another hypothetical outcome for the Jets' draft later this month. The goal going in wasn't necessarily to trade back into the first round — that's just how the board fell.

In many ways, this might be my personal favorite mock that I've done this year. The Jets were able to land superstar talents who could not only contribute immediately, but guys the team can build around for the foreseeable future.

Just which players did we land, however? Let's take a look at the results from our latest seven-round 2022 NFL Mock Draft.

Round 1, 4th Overall, NY Jets: Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon

If Kayvon Thibodeaux is on the board at this spot, I'm going to pick him every time. The star Oregon pass rusher is one of the best overall prospects in this class and an ideal target for the Jets at pick No. 4.

At just 21-years-old (he doesn't turn 22 until December), Thibodeaux provides an ideal blend of size, length, and athleticism that give him one of the most appealing physical profiles of any edge rusher in this draft.

What sets him apart from a player like Travon Walker is that Thibodeaux is already a very accomplished and seasoned pass rusher. His 15.0 percent pressure rate was higher than every other top pass rusher prospect in this draft and nearly double Walker's rate.

Ignore the noise surrounding his "off-field concerns." Kayvon Thibodeaux is a fantastic edge rusher prospect and someone who could be the key to unlocking the Jets' pass rush.

Round 1, 10th Overall, NY Jets: Sauce Gardner, CB, Cincinnati

I fully do not expect Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner to still be on the board when the Jets select at pick No. 10. But the fact that he was changed my entire approach to the draft.

There was simply no way I was going to pass on Gardner, not at this spot. In three years at Cincinnati, Gardner put together one of the best careers of any college cornerback in recent memory.

Gardner didn't allow a single touchdown during his entire time at Cincinnati, he was tagged with allowing just one completion on 115 red-zone snaps in three years, and he allowed an opposing passer rating of just 22.6 when targeted in 2021.

Gardner is an immediate difference-maker on defense and someone who, when paired with Thibodeaux, can transform a Jets pass defense that ranked 30th in the NFL last season. This is how you fix your defense.

Round 1, 22nd Overall, NY Jets: Drake London, WR, USC

Here is where I had to think on my feet. The plan was to draft a wide receiver at 10, but Gardner's availability changed everything. Even still, I was able to trade back into the first round and secure one of the draft's top wide receivers, Drake London.

The Jets shipped the 35th overall pick (essentially moving up 13 spots) along with the 69th pick (top of the third round) and a future fifth to move up and select London. It's a slight overpay in terms of Jimmy Johnson's draft chart, but the value London would provide is more than worth it.

At 6-foot-4, 219 pounds, London is perhaps the most physically dominant wide receiver in this class. He's a contested-catch master who uses his large frame and basketball background to box out opposing defensive backs.

The Jets are in desperate need of a physical, red-zone threat in their offense and London provides that and much more. His ability to make plays after the catch is just the cherry on top.

The Jets land a player who can become their WR1 and they don't even have to use a top-20 pick to do so.

Round 2, 38th Overall, NY Jets: Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia

With only one second-round pick remaining, the goal was to land another player who can make an immediate impact. The addition of Devonte Wyatt sees the Jets come away with as many as four potential first-round-caliber prospects.

Wyatt was an important part of a stacked Georgia defensive line that featured fellow future NFL Draft picks such as Jordan Davis and Travon Walker. At 6-foot-3, 307 pounds, Wyatt could prove to be the best of the bunch, at least early in their respective careers.

The Georgia native is a high-upside, athletic 3-technique who improved every season at Georgia. He's a bit on the older side having just turned 24 which could cause him to fall, but he combines his high athletic ceiling with an NFL-ready skill set that also gives him a very high floor.

Wyatt would step in and immediately become a regular contributor in the Jets' defensive tackle rotation, possibly taking over for Sheldon Rankins who underperformed last season. An interior duo of Wyatt and Quinnen Williams has a lot of potential.

Round 4, 111th Overall, NY Jets: Braxton Jones, OT, Southern Utah

The Jets haven't been shy about their pursuit of offensive linemen in this year's draft, but the best allocation of draft capital would probably be to address the position later as opposed to earlier.

Southern Utah's Braxton Jones is a very intriguing small-school developmental tackle prospect who could ideally sit for a year or two before eventually taking over as a starter.

At 6-foot-5, 310 pounds, Jones is a high-ceiling prospect with excellent athletic traits. He ran a sub-5.00 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and would be best fit in a zone-blocking scheme like the one the Jets run.

Jones would provide adequate tackle depth early in his career with the potential to start down the line. A perfect Day 3 target.

NY Jets trade down, fix defense in 7-round 2022 NFL Mock Draft

Round 4, 117th Overall, NY Jets: Troy Andersen, LB, Montana State

From one small-school prospect to another, Troy Andersen is one of the most unique players in this entire draft class. Anderson has spent time as a running back, quarterback, and linebacker even leading his college team in rushing, passing, and total tackles in three consecutive seasons.

At 6-foot-3, 243 pounds, Anderson is a superb athlete for the linebacker position as he posted a ridiculous 4.42 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine which was the fastest among all linebackers.

He's far from a finished product, but Anderson's high athletic ceiling combined with his versatility gives him immediate special-teams upside with the ability to legitimately contribute to all three phases of the game.

Want to run some wildcat packages on offense? Anderson is your guy. Want a speedy sub-package linebacker? Look no further than Anderson. How about a core special-teamer? Yup, that's Troy Anderson.

It wouldn't surprise me to see him go Day 2, but Anderson is such a fun prospect that I hope he falls to the Jets here on Day 3.

Round 5, 146th Overall, NY Jets: Jelani Woods, TE, Virginia

The Jets don't need to add a tight end in this year's draft, not after signing both C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin in free agency. But it sure wouldn't hurt to add a little more depth.

Virginia's Jelani Woods is another one-of-a-kind prospect who has experience playing quarterback. Woods originally committed to Oklahoma State to play QB before transitioning to tight end and later transferring to Virginia.

Standing at a whopping 6-foot-7, 253 pounds, Woods is a matchup-nightmare waiting to happen, and although he's only an average athlete with below-average route-running skills at this time, his size will garner plenty of attention.

Woods' best role would come as an in-line tight end who can attack up the seam as well as serve as a more-than-capable blocker. He's someone who is only scratching the surface of his potential.

Round 5, 163rd Overall, NY Jets: Kennedy Brooks, RB, Oklahoma

Even after adding Michael Carter in last year's draft, don't be surprised if the Jets target a running back on Day 3 of the draft. Ideally, they would look to add a power back who's most effective between the tackles.

In the past, I've mocked players like Michigan's Hassan Haskins or Alabama's Brian Robinson Jr. at this spot. With both off the board, I pivoted to another big-name running back with a similar set of skills.

Oklahoma's Kennedy Brooks is always going to have a ceiling as an NFL back. He lacks the speed and explosiveness to ever be anything more than a rotational back, but that's perfectly fine with the Jets.

Brooks is an effective short-yardage running back who put together three consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns at Oklahoma. He can be a suitable part of the Jets' running back rotation and fill the role Joe Douglas hoped La'Mical Perine would fill two years ago.