The Jets are already past the point of building a draft class with one headline move. After making an NFL-high three selections in the first round Thursday night, they held the No. 44 overall pick Friday morning and were weighing how to use the 11th choice in Round 2.
New York entered the weekend needing help at edge, wideout, interior offensive line and defensive back, and first-year general manager Darren Mougey has not been shy about moving around the board. Since he was hired in January 2025, Mougey has made 15 trades with 12 teams, and his staff has already used that flexibility to add Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey at No. 2 overall, Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq 14 picks later and Indiana receiver Omar Cooper Jr. at No. 30 after sending the first pick of the second round, No. 33 overall, and a fifth-round compensatory pick, No. 179 overall, to San Francisco. Friday brought another chance to keep reshaping the roster, with the Jets scheduled to pick once at night and still holding No. 44, which they acquired from Dallas in November along with a 2027 first-rounder and defensive tackle Mazi Smith in the Quinnen Williams deal.
That is the backdrop for any Round 2 discussion, including a receiver such as Jauan Jennings, who would fit the kind of offensive help the Jets still need around Geno Smith. Mougey has already been willing to trade back, trade up and keep talking through the draft, and he said in a similar spirit that the team would always be open and always pick up the phone.
The names on the board Friday morning reflected the different directions New York could go. Clemson guard Chase Bisontis, a Ramsey, New Jersey native who attended Don Bosco Prep, brings a 705-pound squat and a clean combine résumé after competing in every drill, while Alabama tackle Gennings Dunker started 37 games at right tackle over the past three seasons and would deepen the offensive line conversation. On defense, safety A.J. Haulcy logged 10 interceptions, 19 pass breakups and four forced fumbles over 48 games at three schools, while Colorado cornerback Colton Hood finished 2025 with 50 tackles and eight pass breakups and drew a comparison from NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein to former Lions cornerback Carlton Davis. Tennessee corner Jermod McCoy, whom Dane Brugler ranked as his No. 2 cornerback, is also on the broader radar, though he tore an ACL in January 2025 and has not played since the 2024 season.
There is no mystery about why the board still matters to New York. The Jets already spent Thursday attacking their biggest needs, but the roster is not finished, and Mougey’s willingness to keep dealing means Friday night could still shift the shape of the draft. The question now is not whether the Jets will add talent — it is which part of the roster they decide to fortify next.
