The New York Jets are expected to be in the quarterback market when the 2027 NFL Draft arrives, and they’ll have plenty of ammunition to work with. With three first-round picks in hand, the organization is positioned to take a serious swing at its next franchise passer.
The class itself already has the look of a big one. Arch Manning and Dante Moore are the headliners, while CJ Carr, Drew Mestemaker, Julian Sayin, and Darian Mensah are also entering the college football season with plenty of buzz around them.
But if Jets general manager Darren Mougey is doing his homework the right way, he can’t stop there. Summer scouting is going to be wide open for this regime, and that means digging into every possible option at quarterback. One name that should be on the radar is Minnesota’s Drake Lindsey.
Lindsey got the starting job for Minnesota last season and handled it well. The Fayetteville, Arkansas native completed 63.2 percent of his passes, threw for 18 touchdowns against six interceptions, and also ran for four scores.
At 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, Lindsey brings the kind of size and arm strength teams notice right away. He’s a classic pocket passer, and while Minnesota’s offense didn’t always put his arm to full use in 2025, there were moments on film that showed he can work all three levels of the field. If he makes another jump in his second year as a starter, he could push himself into first-round territory as a darkhorse option.
For Mougey and the Jets’ scouting staff, Lindsey is the kind of quarterback worth tracking closely in 2026.
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Mason Rudolph has emerged as a possible outside answer, and his profile is easy to understand for a team trying to stabilize the position. He is an eight-year veteran with 19 career starts and looks like a solid depth option, though not necessarily the kind of long-term emergency plan a team wants to lean on if things go sideways. His contract situation also adds another layer to the decision, especially with the Steelers having added another young quarterback to their pipeline, which could make Rudolph harder to keep in Pittsburgh for long. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Camp Could Finally Settle A Backfield Question Fans Know Well
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Davis has been productive on limited work, and his next step is to turn that trust into a clearer role as he heads into his third year. Braelon Allen is also in the mix, but Davis appears to be the back the Jets are leaning toward as camp opens, which makes this one of the more interesting position battles to watch when practices begin. [Read more 🡒]