The Jets' 2022 draft math has been available for a while, but none of the reports was chiseled in granite until the NFL announced this year's compensatory picks and released the official order of all selections in this year's 262-player draft set for April 28-30 in Las Vegas.
The NFL on Tuesday announced its compensatories and Wednesday revealed the official order for all teams in all seven rounds.
The Jets' four picks in the first 38 selections haven't changed — their own selections at No. 4 overall and No. 35, the third pick of Round 2, plus No. 10 overall from Seattle, arriving as part of the 2020 trade of S Jamal Adams, and No. 38 in Round 2 as part of last year's Sam Darnold trade to Carolina.
The historical distinctions we reported back in January still hold for those selections:
■ The fourth and 10th picks, if the Jets spend them, would mark the ninth time in franchise history that they had two first-round selections (most recently was last year's second and 14th picks, spent on QB Zach Wilson and G Alijah Vera-Tucker respectively).
■ While the Jets' four first-rounders in 2000 — their "Four Aces" draft — are the most in Round 1 in franchise history, this year's fourth and 10th picks would be the highest top-two picks combined in Green & White draft annals.
■ If the Jets spend all of those first four picks, that would match 1984 and 2000 as their most top-40 picks in any draft since 1970.
The Jets also have their own picks in the third round (69th overall) and Round 5 (146th) and three more Day Three choices — the Panthers' fourth-rounder (111th), also part of the Darnold deal, the Vikings' No. 4 (117th) from last year's trade of TE Chris Herndon, and the Steelers' fifth-rounder (163rd) as final payment in the 2020 trade of LB Avery Williamson.
Here is where the Jets' nine selections are set to fall late next month:
| Round | # in Rd | # Overall | How Pick Obtained |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 4 | Jets' own pick |
| 1 | 10 | 10 | From SEA in 2020 Jamal Adams trade |
| 2 | 3 | 35 | Jets' own pick |
| 2 | 6 | 38 | From CAR in 2021 Sam Darnold trade |
| 3 | 5 | 69 | Jets' own pick |
| 4 | 6 | 111 | From CAR in 2021 Sam Darnold trade |
| 4 | 12 | 117 | From MIN in 2021 Chris Herndon trade |
| 5 | 3 | 146 | Jets' own pick |
| 5 | 20 | 163 | From PIT in 2020 Avery Williamson trade |
The draft positions were firmed up once the NFL announced it was awarding 39 compensatory picks to 16 teams, spread out from Rounds 3-7. The Jets received no compensatories for the fifth straight year. Since 1994, they have received 14 compensatories combined, in the 2004, '06, '12, '14 and '17 drafts.
The only compensatory the Jets received since 2015 was a third-round selection, No. 107 overall in 2017, awarded to them after the losses of unrestricted free agents Demario Davis, Damon Harrison and Chris Ivory. But that was the first year that teams were allowed to trade compensatories, and the Jets sent that No. 3 pick to Tampa Bay for the Buccaneers' fourth- and sixth-round choices.
Compensatory free agents are determined by a closely held formula based on salary, playing time and postseason honors. The formula was developed by the NFL Management Council. Not every free agent lost or signed by a club is covered by this formula.
