A lot of rumors suggest that the New York Jets could eventually take a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft, whether with the 16th pick or in the second round.
If the Jets want to go the quarterback route in the second round, it seems more than likely that they'll have to get creative and perhaps have to move up a few spots to land a player like Ty Simpson before another team comes and does it to them.
In a recent mock draft from Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN, that's exactly what would happen to New York. He had the Jets interested in Simpson, but instead of him landing in New York, he’d eventually be drafted by the Arizona Cardinals after Arizona moved up in the draft.
“It's getting late in Round 1, and all of the non-Mendoza quarterbacks are still on the board. The Jets have the 33rd pick to kick off Round 2, so I wouldn't be surprised if one of these QB-needy teams tries to trade back into Round 1 to get ahead of New York and also secure the fifth-year option on Ty Simpson. In this projected deal, the Cardinals send Nos. 34 and 65 to the Dolphins for Nos. 30 and 94. The Dolphins would then have five total picks in the top 75 and would still be able to get an impact player early on Day 2,” he wrote.
Losing out on Simpson isn't the end of the world for the Jets right now. I'd like to see them draft a quarterback at some point in this class, whether it be Drew Allar or Simpson, but there has to be a great plan for this quarterback to come in and do what's needed.
The last thing the Jets want to do is bring a quarterback in without a plan for them to succeed. Regarding who the Jets were taking outside of that, Kiper had them selecting David Bailey at No. 2 and Omar Cooper Jr. in the later stages of the first round with the 16th pick.
“After going defense at No. 2 with David Bailey, the Jets should take a look at the receiver class at No. 16. Just look at the depth chart. There's Garrett Wilson (coming off a knee injury) and then ... Adonai Mitchell? Isaiah Williams? No one on this team hit 400 receiving yards last season, and the Jets still haven't added another receiver this spring. It won't matter if it's Geno Smith, Ty Simpson or Joe Namath under center if the Jets can't find more pass-catching threats. Cooper had 937 yards and 13 touchdowns last season,” he added.