The way the 2025 NFL season has gone, there's a good chance the New York jets will have at least a top-five pick in the 2026 NFL draft, if not the No. 1 overall pick.
The frustrating part about the season so far for Jets fans is the fact that their team is just nine points away from being 3-3 instead of 0-6.
New York has lost four one-score games this season - 34-32 to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1, 29-27 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3, 27-21 to the Miami Dolphins in Week 4, and 13-11 to the Denver Broncos in Week 6 - and three of them were decided by three or fewer points.
While there are many things that can be attributed to the Jets' lackluster start, having the 29th-ranked offense in the NFL (279.8 yards per game) and the 25th-ranked scoring offense (20.5 points per game) has to be at the top.
When an offense struggles, typically the first person blamed is the quarterback.
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And while Justin Fields' numbers haven't blown anyone away - 799 yards passing, four touchdowns, zero interceptions, 235 yards rushing, three touchdowns - they aren't exactly bottom-of-the-barrel material either.
But if the Jets end up with a top-five pick, it'll be awfully hard for them to resist taking one of the top passers in the 2026 draft class, which is why Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema believes they'll grab Alabama Crimson Tide QB Ty Simpson, who’s currently the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy (+300 odds), with the top pick next April.
"There isn't a quarterback in the 2026 class who feels like a ‘safe' top-five talent – if there ever is such a thing," Sikkema wrote. "However, there are a handful of players who have shown promise in flashes or small sample sizes, and Simpson leads the way.
"In his first year as a full-time starter, he has the highest overall passing grade among the projected first-round quarterbacks (86.6) and the highest intermediate (11-19 yards downfield) passing grade (91.1)."
Simpson has burst onto the scene in his first year as the Alabama starter after taking over for Jalen Milroe.
The 22-year-old junior ranks fifth in the NCAA in touchdown passes (16), and he's 16th in passing yards (1,678) and completion percentage (70.9). He’s also the only quarterback in college football with 15 or more TD passes and one or fewer interceptions.
Fields is under contract for one more season, but the team could save $10 million if he's designated as a post-June 1 cut next offseason, which could make the prospect of drafting a potential franchise QB on a rookie deal for the next four seasons too enticing to pass up.
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