At the 2026 trade deadline, the New York Jets made the franchise-altering decision to part ways with two cornerstone defenders.
Out were Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner, and in was a boatload of premier draft capital from the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys.
Now, the Jets need to use those selections to find replacements to fix their porous defense, and it starts with the 2026 NFL Draft.
PFF mock draft has Jets selecting Clemson DL Peter Woods
Pro Football Focus' Gordon McGuinness has New York selecting Clemson interior defensive lineman Peter Woods with the fourth overall pick in his latest mock draft.
"The Jets shipped off interior defender Quinnen Williams and cornerback Sauce Gardner at the trade deadline, so if the top quarterbacks are off the board, a replacement at either of those spots makes a lot of sense," wrote McGuinness.
"Woods didn’t have his best season in 2025, but he still earned PFF overall grades above 80.0 in both 2023 and 2024 and has all the tools to be a force in the NFL."
By adding Woods, the Jets can turn a weakness into a strength by adding an injection of blue-chip talent to their defensive line room.
Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs have been solid players since the Williams trade, holding down the Jets' interior defensive front.
But the addition of Woods makes them even better, and creates a rotation of staunch run defenders and pass rushers.
Woods would be a homerun pick for this roster, desperate for high-end defensive talent.
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