NY Jets land Kayvon Thibodeaux and a star WR in 7-round 2022 NFL Mock Draft

It's Sunday, you know what that means. It's NY Jets mock draft time — aka my favorite time of the week.

What is there to say that hasn't already been said before? The Jets have nine picks in this year's draft including two top-10 selections and four inside the top-40. No team is better equipped to build through the draft than they are.

This is a crucial offseason for general manager Joe Douglas as he will look to put together a roster that can compete for a playoff spot in 2022. Much of his work could come in the 2022 NFL Draft.

With the help of The Draft Network's Mock Machine, let's take a look at our latest seven-round 2022 NFL Mock Draft.

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

With Evan Neal, Kyle Hamilton, and Aidan Hutchinson off the board, we had our choice between players like Kayvon Thibodeaux, Ikem Ekwonu, and even the late-rising Jermaine Johnson. We opted for the more traditional pick adding Thibodeaux.

One thing this Jets defense is sorely missing is an elite pass rusher. They hoped they were landing that when they signed Carl Lawson last offseason, but a torn Achilles halted any chances of that happening in 2021.

The Jets can't bank on a healthy Lawson dominating again in 2022 which is why they add a player with one of the highest upsides in this draft class. Thibodeaux has all the physical tools necessary to be an All-Pro at the next level.

He's not a perfect prospect and reported personality concerns (most of which seem to be overblown) have dropped his stock a little. But if the Jets are looking for a high-upside pass rusher prospect, they aren't going to do any better than Thibodeaux at this spot.