After getting absolutely smoked by the Buffalo Bills in Week 18, the New York Jets' 2026 NFL draft spot is now locked in.
Even though the Bills rested most of their starters, including quarterback Josh Allen, the Jets were still no match for Buffalo, which is a surprise to no one.
With the Jets falling to a putrid 3-14, they hopped the Tennessee Titans f or the No. 2 pick thanks to an inferior strength of schedule and will fall just behind the Las Vegas Raiders, who own the No. 1 overall pick.
Of course, the Jets also own the Indianapolis Colts' first-round pick from the Sauce Gardner trade. As of this writing, that pick falls in the No. 15 slot.
That's a major problem for the Jets, as the quarterback-needy Raiders are almost certainly going to take the best signal-caller available in the class.
That scenario would mean New York will have to settle for the second-best.
Right now, it looks like Indiana's Fernando Mendoza will emerge as the top signal-caller in this year's draft class, followed by Oregon's Dante Moore.
However, it must be noted that neither player has officially declared, so there's still a chance one or both stay in college for another year.
If both declare, the Jets will likely be faced with taking Moore or going in a different direction, as we'd be shocked if the Raiders pass on Mendoza.
If one of those two don't declare, the Jets might be left out in the cold entirely early in the first round when it comes to drafting a quarterback.
A lot can change between now and the draft, but right now the Jets are in a good but not great spot as they look for their next franchise quarterback.
More NFL News
- Why Colts' Alec Pierce was ejected from Week 18 game vs. Texans
- Video of Myles Garrett's record-breaking sack vs. Bengals
- Why Cowboys rookie was ejected from Week 18 game vs. Giants
- Mike Tomlin rumors include staying with Steelers, TV gig, ownership stake