The Jets and Packers by all reports have been talking but still have not yet struck a deal regarding trade compensation for QB Aaron Rodgers. Meanwhile, the 2023 NFL Draft is, as always, relentlessly rushing toward us, with Rounds 1-7 set to be unveiled April 27-29 from Kansas City.
In advance of a trade with the Packers or with any other teams, here is a review of the six selections the Jets hold at the moment in this year's draft, plus a short look at next year's draft.
2023
Round 1 (13th overall)
The Jets, as the last team in the group of six teams that finished last season at 7-10, will start at 13th overall, their own choice in Round 1, then move up one rung in each of Rounds 2, 3 (traded to Cleveland), 4 and 5.
University of Miami S Burgess Owens in the 1973 NFL Draft, South Carolina DE John Abraham in 2000 and Missouri DT Sheldon Richardson in 2013 were all 13th overall picks that produced good to great returns for the Green & White.
Round 2A (42nd overall)
The Jets acquired this selection from the Browns in the March 23 trade for Elijah Moore, the third-year WR, plus the Jets' own third-round pick (74th overall).
If they wind up keeping this pick, they will be trying to find a player who can equal the short but impactful career of DE Dennis Byrd from Tulsa. Byrd, the Jets' 42nd choice in 1989, played 57 games, started 40, and racked up 28 sacks before his career-ending paralyzing injury suffered late in the 1992 season.
See photos of every Jets first round draft pick through the years. Images of all 70 first-round picks are included except for LB Michael Taylor (1972, Michigan).
G Tom Brown (1961, Minnesota)
QB Sandy Stephens (1962, Minnesota)
DB Jerry Stovall (1963, LSU)
RB Matt Snell (1964, Ohio State)
FB Tom Nowatzke (1965, Indiana)
QB Joe Namath (1965, Alabama)
DE William Yearby (1966, Michigan)
C Paul Seiler (1967, Notre Dame)
RB Lee White (1968, Weber State)
OT Dave Foley (1969, Ohio State)
DB Steve Tannen (1970, Florida)
New England Patriots Ed Philpott makes a splash as he lands on rain soaked synthetic surface and upsets New York Jets John Riggins, Sunday, Oct. 11, 1971, Foxboro, Mass. New England Patriots won 20-0. (AP Photo)
TE Jerome Barkum (1972, Jackson State)
DB Burgess Owens (1973, Miami)
DT Carl Barzilauskas (1974, Indiana)
QB Richard Todd (1976, Alabama)
OT Marvin Powell (1977, USC)
OT Chris Ward (1978, Ohio State)
DE Marty Lyons (1979, Alabama)
WR Lam Jones (1980, Texas)
RB Freeman McNeil (1981, UCLA)
LB Bob Crable (1982, Notre Dame)
QB Ken O'Brien (1983, UC Davis)
DE Ron Faurot (1984, Arkansas)
DB Russell Carter (1984, SMU)
WR Al Toon (1985, Wisconsin)
G Mike Haight (1986, Iowa)
RB Roger Vick (1987, Texas A&M)
G Dave Cadigan (1988, USC)
DE Jeff Lageman (1989, Virginia)
RB Blair Thomas (1990, Penn State)
TE Johnny Mitchell (1992, Nebraska)
LB Marvin Jones (1993, Florida State)
DB Aaron Glenn (1994, Texas A&M)
DE Hugh Douglas (1995, Central State)
TE Kyle Brady (1995, Penn State)
WR Keyshawn Johnson (1996, USC)
LB James Farrior (1997, Virginia)
TE Anthony Becht (2000, West Virginia)
QB Chad Pennington (2000, Marshall)
DE Shaun Ellis (2000, Tennessee)
DE John Abraham (2000, South Carolina)
WR Santana Moss (2001, Miami)
DE Bryan Thomas (2002, UAB)
DT Dewayne Robertson (2003, Kentucky)
LB Jonathan Vilma (2004, Miami)
OT D'Brickashaw Ferguson (2006, Virginia)
C Nick Mangold (2006, Ohio State)
CB Darrelle Revis (2007, Pittsburgh)
TE Dustin Keller (2008, Purdue)
DE Vernon Gholston (2008, Ohio State)
QB Mark Sanchez (2009, USC)
DB Kyle Wilson (2010, Boise State)
DT Muhammad Wilkerson (2011, Temple)
DE Quinton Coples (2012, North Carolina)
DT Sheldon Richardson (2013, Missouri)
DB Dee Milliner (2013, Alabama)
DB Calvin Pryror (2014, Louisville)
DE Leonard Williams (2015, USC)
OLB Darron Lee (2016, Ohio State)
S Jamal Adams (2017, LSU)
QB Sam Darnold (2018, USC)
DT Quinnen Williams (2019, Alabama)
OT Mekhi Becton (2020, Louisville)
OL Alijah Vera-Tucker (2021, USC)
QB Zach Wilson (2021, BYU)
EDGE Jermaine Johnson (2022, Florida State)
WR Garrett Wilson (2022, Ohio State)
CB Sauce Gardner (2022, Cincinnati)
Round 2B (43rd overall)
Jets' own choice in the second round.
For the Jets' top selection at No. 43, we have to go back to the 1964 American Football League Draft, when they selected LB Ralph Baker from Penn State (in the AFL's sixth round). Baker played 142 games and started 132 for the Jets from 1964-74.
Round 4 (112th overall)
Jets' own choice in the fourth round.
The Green & White's best selection at No. 112 was RB Joe McKnight out of Southern Cal in 2010.
Round 5 (143rd overall)
Jets' own choice in the fifth round.
The Jets' best pick at No. 143 was S Erik Coleman from Washington State in 2004.
Round 6 (207th overall)
The Jets gave up their own sixth-round selection to the Jaguars for the trade last October for RB James Robinson. But they still have this sixth-round selection they received in March 2022 from the Texans (who got it originally from San Francisco) in the trade for LB Blake Cashman.
The Jets' only No. 207 pick was of DT Jonathan Marshall from Arkansas in 2021.
The Jets are also without their seventh-round selection, which they sent to the Buccaneers in the October 2020 trade for DL Steve McLendon.
2024
The Jets also have six selections in next year's draft. They have their own picks in Rounds 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6. They also traded DL Jacob Martin to the Broncos on Nov. 1, 2022, along with their own fifth-round pick in this draft and got a fourth-rounder in return from the Broncos.
They also traded their seventh-round selection to the Ravens on March 15 for S Chuck Clark.
