The Jets don’t have the luxury of pretending the 2026-27 season is still about the present. At 2-6, the attention in New York is already drifting toward the 2027 NFL Draft, and the good news for the front office is that the Jets are sitting on nine picks, including three in the first round. That gives them real ammunition to attack the biggest holes on the roster.
For fans tracking the college season with one eye on April, a few names should already be jumping off the page.
The secondary is one of the first places the Jets need to keep shopping, and Georgia cornerback Ellis Robinson IV fits the kind of profile that can change a defense. New York’s cornerback group has started to settle in after the trade of Sauce Gardner at last year’s deadline, but it still lacks a true No. 1 presence.
Robinson brings an aggressive edge and the kind of versatility teams want from a top defensive back. He can work in both man and zone, and this season he has piled up five pass deflections and two interceptions.
Notre Dame’s Leonard Moore has separated himself as the top corner in the class, but the source of this report makes clear the Jets are likely out of range for him. If that’s the case, Robinson looks like a strong fallback in the first round.
Up front, Tennessee defensive lineman Xavier Gilliam is another prospect worth watching closely. The 6-foot-2, 305-pound lineman has taken a major step forward after serving as a rotational player for Penn State in 2025.
Now with Tennessee, he has put together a strong season with 26 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, and six sacks. His burst off the snap is what makes him dangerous as a pass rusher, and he has also shown noticeable progress against the run as the season has gone on.
There are other defensive tackle names in the mix - Will Echoles of Ole Miss, Devan Thompkins of Alabama, and David Stone of Oklahoma - but Gilliam’s rise could make him a serious target for New York if he keeps this pace.
And then there’s the position that will dominate the Jets’ draft conversation: quarterback. Darren Mougey brought in veteran Geno Smith and 2026 fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik this offseason, but that setup doesn’t change the bigger picture.
The Jets will be hunting for a franchise quarterback in round one, and Notre Dame’s CJ Carr is firmly in that discussion. Carr, the grandson of former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr, has opened the season with 1,849 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and one interception in eight games.
He has the arm to challenge defenses all over the field, and his football IQ could be enough to push him into first-round territory. New York’s scouting department has already spent plenty of time on Notre Dame this season, which only adds to the intrigue around Carr as the draft picture comes into focus.
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For the Jets, the ripple effect is obvious even if they are not the ones making the first move. One alternative being discussed has New Yorks other team as a possible source of help, which naturally puts Breece Hall back into the conversation, even as the Jets have said they do not intend to deal him. For now, it is all still speculation, but the deadline pressure is making every running back rumor feel a little more real. [Read more 🡒]
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The ripple effects have only added to the intrigue. Indianapolis has stumbled through a losing stretch and roster changes since landing Gardner, whose play has also slipped, while New York has gotten useful production from Adonai Mitchell and now sits on a pile of draft capital that gives the front office plenty of ways to build. The bigger question is no longer whether the Jets chose a hard path, but how aggressively they turn those assets into the next version of the team. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Glenn Takes A Stand In Jets Breece Hall-Braelon Allen Debate
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Aaron Glenn, though, made it clear where he stands when Hall is ready to come back. The Jets coach recently got a five-year extension, and he is not treating the situation like an open competition just because Allen has flashed during Halls absence. For now, the hierarchy remains intact, even if the timing of Halls return is still unsettled. [Read more 🡒]