The New York Jets made a small splash at quarterback already by trading for Geno Smith from the Las Vegas Raiders, but no one seriously thinks they are out of the quarterback market ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Smith is coming off a rough year in Las Vegas, and he will turn 36 in October. The Jets have a solid war chest of picks in this year and next year’s draft, so you’d have to expect the team to add a top quarterback in one of them.

A new mock draft from A to Z Sports has the Jets bypassing the position in the first round, but their patience pays off as they land the second quarterback off the board in the second round. This allows them to find a potential answer at quarterback while also adding premium talent elsewhere to improve a roster that needs more talent.

Jets select Ohio State LB Arvell Reese and USC WR Makai Lemon in the first round of a new mock draft

“The overhaul of Aaron Glenn’s defense has been quite active thus far this offseason. New York has spent well in free agency to raise the floor of the unit — but there’s still room for splash players and needle movers. Reese offers flexibility that I’d believe Glenn could work with in both off-ball and pass rush situations, and I’d totally understand why his pass rush upside gets him the call here at No. 2 overall.” – Kyle Crabbs, A to Z Sports NFL Draft analyst

“New York got a marquee player on the defensive side of the ball with their first pick in Arvell Reese. Here? They get another building block at wide receiver to help build up the supporting cast for their future long-term quarterback (and also Geno Smith in 2026). Lemon and Garrett Wilson give the team a pair of passing weapons that will be difficult to bottle simultaneously.” – Kyle Crabbs, A to Z Sports NFL Draft analyst

Jets land Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson in the second round of a new mock draft

Ty Simpson, at one point last season, was considered the favorite to win the Heisman and a top candidate to be the first quarterback drafted. He had 20 of his 28 passing touchdowns through the team’s first eight games, and he only threw one interception during that same span.

He showed great touch passes and the ability to make any throw needed of him. The problem is his play clearly dropped off after that, with only two games with at least two passing touchdowns after accomplishing that feat in every single one of the team’s first eight games.

One of the most concerning parts of his evaluation is his accuracy, which was viewed as a strength for most of the year but became a weakness in Alabama’s big games down the stretch. From Week 12 vs. Alabama’s in-state rivals, Auburn, in four games, he failed to complete over 60% of his passes in two of those games. He failed to complete 65% of his passes in three of the four, something he did in six of the team’s first eight games.

Despite the team as a whole struggling throughout, he was able to finish strongly in terms of throwing the ball accurately, though, against Indiana in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal. He completed 12 of 16 passes, giving him an impressive 75% completion percentage.

The risk here for the Jets is that he only has one year as a full-time starter, and his tape is essentially a tale of two different quarterbacks in 2025. So which one is the real Simpson, the first eight games, or the last seven? That’s part of the reason why if they can wait till round two to select him, it would significantly lower the risk the team was taking on by selecting the Alabama quarterback. And there is reason to think they are at least considering him after someone captured a video of Jets reps at his Pro Day speaking with the Alabama quarterback personally.

Ty Simpson talks with representation from the New York Jets here at Alabama’s Pro Day pic.twitter.com/6vtulCKSD0

— Wyatt Fulton (@FultonW_) March 25, 2026

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