With us entering the most exciting part of the NFL offseason (most boring), it’s time to have some fun, and I decided to rank the last 10 first-round picks for each team. We’ll be starting with the New York Jets, and I decided to exclude picks from the most recent draft, which is the 2026 NFL draft.

The Jets have exciting talent entering the building from the 2026 draft, but we don’t yet know how they’ll look on an NFL field, making it hard to rank them. Looking at the Jets’ draft history over the past 10 years, they’ve hit on a good amount of players. Now, whether those players are still on the roster or not, the one position this team hasn’t been able to hit on is the quaterback position, which is a major reason they’ve struggled for the majority of their franchise history.

It’s a fun group of players to rank, so here are the last 10 first-round picks from the Jets, ranked from best to worst.

1. Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama – 2019 NFL Draft

Looking at the list of players, there was a clear No. 1 for me, and it’s Quinnen Willimas. I loved watching him come out of Alabama, and he had true game-wreaking upside entering the NFL. He spent seven and a half seasons with New York, but was traded to the Dallas Cowboys midseason in 2025. He’s the longest tenured Jet on this list and has had 40 sacks in 94 games started for the team.

During his time with the Jets, he made the Pro Bowl four times and, in 2022, was named first-team All-Pro, finishing seventh in Defensive Player of the Year voting. His highest sack total with the team was in 2022, having 12 and 28 quaterback hits.

Williams was in great shape and didn’t miss much time with the Jets during his tenure. Through all the ups and downs, Williams still showed up on Sundays ready to compete. It was time to move on as he didn’t fit the team’s timeline anymore, but he was no doubt a hit for the Jets, who took him with the No. 3 overall pick.

2. Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State – 2022 NFL Draft

Garrett Wilson has been on the team for four seasons, but he no doubt deserves this second spot on the list. He and Sauce Gardner were both taken in the first round of the 2022 draft, and the only reason he’s above Gardner is that he’s still on the team.

Wilson earned Offensive Rookie of the Year with the Jets, having 1,103 yards and four touchdowns. He’s solidified himself as one of the league’s best at the receiver position, having over 1,000 yards in every season except 2025. He missed time due to injury in 2025, playing only seven games and totaling 395 yards — he still led the team in receiving.

As Wilson enters his fifth season in the NFL, he’ll be 26 and will likely have the best offensive line he’s had around him since entering the league. The Jets drafted Omar Cooper Jr. and Kenyon Sadiq in the 2026 draft, giving quaterback Geno Smith weapons all around him. Pair those two up with Mason Taylor and Breece Hall, the Jets have the makings of a dominant offense when they get the eventual quaterback of the future.

3. Sauce Gardner, CB, Cincinnati – 2022 NFL Draft

Gardner went six picks before Wilson, and he proved why early in his career. Not only did he win Defensive Rookie of the Year in his rookie year, but he also made the Pro Bowl and was named to the first-team All-Pro twice during his time with the Jets. He led the league with 20 passes defended in his rookie year, showcasing the true lockdown abilities he had coming out of Cincinnati.

His performance led the Jets to give him a four-year, $120.4 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid corner in NFL history at the time. His play the past couple of seasons hasn’t been as dominant as his rookie year, but he’s still one of the NFL’s best.

The Jets didn’t want to move on from Gardner, but the Indianapolis Colts gave an offer they couldn’t turn down. Two first-round picks, which the Jets obviously took. His tenure was short-lived with the Jets, but Gardner was no doubt one of the better first-round picks the team has made in recent memory.

4. Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State – 2025 NFL Draft

The Jets have one of the better offensive lines in the NFL, and Olumuyiwa Fashanu is a main reason why. He’s a mauling presence at the tackle position, being 6-foot-6 and 319 pounds. He had a dominant rookie season, playing 534 snaps and giving up 23 pressures.

His play tailed off in 2025 as the team’s starting left tackle, allowing 39 pressures and six sacks. Still, he’s one of the building blocks throughout this Jets rebuild and will likely be the team’s left tackle for years to come.

5. Armand Membou, OT, Missouri – 2025 NFL Draft

Armand Membou has been in the NFL for one season, which is why ranking him fifth may seem rich to some. The season he had was nothing short of excellent for New York. In his first NFL game, he was asked to line up across from the Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher, TJ Watt, and he gave up zero pressures in the matchup.

There were some games when Membou looked like a rookie, but in the end, he finished with 33 pressures and eight sacks. He and Fashanu will be the tackle duo for the Jets as they try to navigate this rebuild.

6. Will McDonald IV, Edge, Iowa State – 2023 NFL Draft

It was a slow start, but Will McDoanld IV has found his footing in the NFL. As a rookie, he finished with three sacks, but in the past two seasons, he has combined for 18.5. He’ll be a key factor in head coach Aaron Glenn’s switch to a 3-4 scheme, with his size allowing him to line up not only on the edge but also on the interior.

We’ll have to see if McDonald earns a second contract with the Jets, but he’s playing his way to one if he can keep up the consistent pressures. He’s efficient in the run game, and that’s a trait fans tend to overlook.

7. Alijah Vera-Tucker, OG, USC – 2021 NFL Draft

When on the field, Alijah Vera-Tucker was a hit for the Jets. He could’ve been higher on this list, but injuries in 2022, 2023 and 2025 kept him off the field. He missed the entirety of the 2025 season due to a torn triceps in his left arm. The injuries were a main reason the Jets let Tucker walk in free agency.

In his four-year career, he’s allowed 88 total pressures and nine quaterback sacks. The New England Patriots signed Tucker to a three-year, $42 million contract this offseason, so the Jets will see Tucker again.

8. Jermaine Johnson II, LB, Florida State – 2022 NFL Draft

Jermain Johnson II was the third first-round pick the Jets made in the 2022 draft, and he didn’t exactly pan out to what they had hoped. It was a combination of factors, but injuries and the overall scheme were the main reasons he was traded to the Tennessee Titans this offseason.

Johnson struggled in his rookie season but had a promising second year in 2023, having 7.5 sacks. It all came to a halt when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the 2024 season, sidelining him for the rest of the year. Glenn traded Johnson for T’Vondre Sweat this offseason, reuniting him with the coach who took him in, Titans head coach Robert Saleh.

9. Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville – 2020 NFL Draft

This is definitely a pick Jets fans want to forget about. Mekhi Becton was the 11th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and was a project coming into the league. His size was intriguing, being 6-foot-7 and 360 pounds, but it never panned out in the NFL.

Becton had multiple injuries and missed time during the 2021 and 2022 NFL seasons. The coaching staff wanted to move him to the right tackle, but he clashed with them over the decision. In his last year with the Jets, he gave up 50 quaterback pressures and 12 sacks, which led him to go to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2024 offseason. New York didn’t pick up his fifth-year options, and he was a clear bust for New York.

10. Zach Wilson, QB, BYU – 2021 NFL Draft

This was the easiest decision on this list; there’s no worse pick than Zach Wilson in the 2021 NFL draft. It was immediately clear he wasn’t cut out to be a starting NFL quaterback after he struggled in his rookie season, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns. In 2022, he threw more interceptions than touchdowns again and suffered a knee injury that sidelined him for three games.

Despite the poor performances, there was hope. Pittsburgh Steelers quaterback Aaron Rodgers famously signed with the Jets before the 2023 season. Wilson could take a seat and learn behind one of the league’s best. Then, in the first game, Rodgers went down with a season-ending injury, and Wilson was thrust into the starting role again. Nothing seemed to change as he struggled again.

Wilson has been with the Miami Dolphins and the New Orleans Saints for the last two years.