5 non-WR prospects the Jets may consider with the 16th pick
By Ian Roddy — 3/21/2026
There’s been an avalanche of football discourse over the past few months about what direction the New York Jets should go with the second overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft. Arvell Reese? David Bailey? Sonny Styles?
The thing is, their other first-round pick ought to be garnering just as much attention, if not more, considering the ambiguity of this year’s class.
And yet, it feels like we’ve reached a point where the vast majority of people just assume that the Jets will do one of three things with that 16th overall pick: draft whichever of the top three wide receiver prospects falls, draft Penn State guard “Vega” Ioane to replace the departed Alijah Vera-Tucker, or draft Alabama QB Ty Simpson.
But you know what they say about assuming.
What if they don’t love Simpson? Ioane is one of the best players in the entire class and could easily be gone. The Dolphins just traded Jaylen Waddle, leaving new quarterback Malik Willis with nobody to throw to. Miami could easily go receiver with that 11th overall pick.
The Rams inquired about A.J. Brown, signaling they want to add a pass catcher as well. That 13th overall pick of theirs would be a great place to do it. The Giants, Browns, Saints and Chiefs will all likely consider going receiver in the top 10 as well.
The point is: what if Darren Mougey and company go on the clock after the Buccaneers pick at 15, and all of those aforementioned options are gone?
Well, here are five under-discussed alternative options the Jets may consider with the 16th overall pick if that were to happen.
Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
“But the Jets just drafted Mason Taylor in the second round last year!”
Yes, while this regime has already invested a premium draft pick in the tight end position, don’t rule this out as a possibility.
The Jets need more pass catchers. Period. And if the new offensive staff deems Sadiq one of the best pass catchers in this class, they won’t let Taylor’s mildly encouraging rookie season stand in the way of that. There can be room for both of them.
At 6-foot-3, 241 pounds, it isn’t an exaggeration to say Sadiq somehow moves better than most wide receivers. He ran a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, which is the fastest ever by a tight end.
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