The Jets passed on the wideout many fans wanted, and early on, that choice is looking a lot better.
New York went into the 2026 NFL Draft with the No. 16 overall pick and plenty of pressure attached to it. A chunk of the fan base wanted USC receiver Makai Lemon.
Darren Mougey went a different direction, taking Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq at No. 16 and then adding Indiana receiver Omar Cooper Jr. at No. 30.
Lemon didn’t last much longer, going No. 20 overall to the Philadelphia Eagles after they traded up for him. That sparked the kind of immediate regret that usually follows a favorite prospect landing elsewhere. But three games into the season, the early numbers are giving the Jets reason to feel good about how they handled the board.
Lemon has played a solid share of snaps for Philadelphia, but the production hasn’t followed. He has been targeted eight times from scrimmage and has only 33 yards to show for it.
The fit hasn’t helped, and he has reportedly been getting open more than the box score suggests, but the concerns that followed him into the draft are still hanging around. His lack of top-end speed and physicality at the line of scrimmage were questioned before the draft, and those issues seem to be showing up now.
Add in the fact that he missed a chunk of the offseason program with an injury and hasn’t looked fully like himself, and the Eagles haven’t gotten the immediate burst many expected.
Cooper’s start has been limited by injury, too, but the flashes have been there. He logged only one drive in the opener before getting hurt, and he has 30 yards so far.
Even so, his 30-yard catch in a win over the Tennessee Titans showed exactly why New York wanted him: the run-after-catch juice, the toughness, the hard-driving style that made him a national champion at Indiana. He was never going to slide to the second round, and once he’s healthy, he’s expected to move right back into the starting lineup.
Sadiq, meanwhile, is starting to look like the kind of pick that can change the shape of this offense. He also dealt with an offseason injury, but he erupted in the Week 3 shootout against the Detroit Lions.
After never reaching 100 receiving yards in a college game at Oregon, he delivered seven catches for 105 yards and his first NFL touchdown. The score came on a wild grab, with Sadiq nearly parallel to the turf to haul it in.
If Cooper keeps building, Sadiq keeps ascending, and Adonai Mitchell’s fast start holds up, the Jets could wind up with four skill players they trust for the future.
Mougey has taken his lumps before, but on this decision, the early returns suggest New York got it right by staying away from Lemon at No. 16.
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