New York Jets fans looking ahead to the college football season may want to widen the search beyond Arch Manning.
Manning has drawn attention for years, and that buzz has only grown as the early 2027 NFL Draft conversation starts to take shape. But another SEC quarterback is beginning to push his way into the spotlight: Ole Miss standout Trinidad Chambliss.
ESPN spoke with an unnamed NFL scout who drew a Russell Wilson comparison for Chambliss, and not because of body type. The scout was blunt about what makes him difficult to defend.
“The dude is electric,” the scout said. “He attacks the middle of the field and puts so much stress on defenses. Don’t be surprised to see someone take him in the back end of Round 1 if he builds off of last season."
That kind of praise makes Chambliss a name Jets fans should know, even if player comparisons can be messy. The more useful part of the scout’s comment is the description of how Chambliss plays. His ability to work the middle of the field and force defenses into uncomfortable decisions is the real selling point, especially for fans trying to understand why he’s being mentioned with Wilson.
Ole Miss lists Chambliss at 6-foot and 205 pounds, which also puts him a bit taller than Wilson. His actual measurements will be clearer once the pre-draft process gets going.
The biggest concern is age. Chambliss will turn 25 only weeks before his rookie season would begin, which means any team taking him early would be betting on an older prospect than the league usually prefers.
That doesn’t automatically make him a Brandon Weeden-type case, though. The difference there is that the Browns were willing to spend a first-round pick on a player who turned 29 during his rookie year.
If Chambliss were to slide into Day 2, the calculus changes a little simply because there would be no fifth-year option. That wouldn’t bother me much if he were still sitting there in the late 20s.
Even so, quarterback projections can go sideways in a hurry. The Ty Simpson and Rams example is the latest reminder that landing spots are hard to pin down, and a team with a veteran starter could decide Chambliss is worth a first-round pick and a year on the bench.
I’m not against the Jets drafting Chambliss. With NIL and the transfer portal changing the college landscape, older prospects are going to keep showing up, even with the NCAA’s upcoming five-year limit.
Still, a top-10 pick would feel too rich for me right now. Let’s see how his season and Cade Klubnik’s play out.
In Other News...
Jets Backup QB Anxiety Just Took A Very Familiar Turn
The Jets backup quarterback situation has a way of circling back to familiar names, and Jimmy Garoppolo is suddenly one of them again. With Geno Smith entrenched as the starter, the conversation is less about changing the top of the depth chart than finding someone with enough experience to steady the room if needed, and Garoppolos rsum still carries weight because he has started games, reached two Super Bowls and spent years around high-pressure quarterback rooms.
What makes the fit interesting is the blend of reliability and risk. Garoppolo has long been viewed as a competent starter, but his career has also been shaped by injuries that have interrupted his rhythm and availability, which is exactly the kind of uncertainty teams try to avoid in a backup role. Even so, for a Jets team trying to sort out its quarterback insurance, his name is the sort that naturally comes up when the alternatives feel even thinner. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Camp Battle Could Already Be Shaping The 53-Man Roster
The backup quarterback battle in Jets camp is already taking shape, and it has quickly become one of the more practical roster questions of the summer. Veteran Bailey Zappe entered as the current No. 2 behind Geno Smith, but rookie Cade Klubnik is pushing hard for that spot, and the Jets have every reason to see what they have in a fourth-round pick they invested real draft capital in.
Klubnik is expected to make the 53-man roster, which gives him a built-in edge as the team sorts out the depth chart. Aaron Glenn has said the rookie will get every opportunity to win the job, while Zappe, who arrived on a futures contract, is the more movable piece if the competition breaks the other way and the Jets decide the safest path is to keep him around on the practice squad. [Read more 🡒]