In a year in which six teams hold multiple first-round picks in the 2022 NFL draft, it's the New York Jets that have the best draft capital of any team. General manager Joe Douglas is rich with four selections in the first two rounds and five total in the first 70 selections.
No team is in as good of a position to make an immediate impact on the roster in this draft. And that's great news for the Jets, as they find themselves looking up (again) at the rest of the AFC East.
To catch the Buffalo Bills, and to compete with the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins, the Jets need second-year quarterback Zach Wilson to stay healthy and take a step forward. They also need to surround Wilson with the type of supporting cast that helped young quarterbacks such as Joe Burrow ascend in their second seasons. That will be the focus of the 2022 draft, while also filling in key needs on the defensive side of the ball.
But not to worry -- we are here to help. Running through all nine selections the Jets own in this draft (as of now), we lay out the perfect -- while realistic -- mock draft.
First, some rules:
There are no trades projected in this mock, even though the Jets are in a great position to potentially slide back in Round 1.
We're keeping this realistic with each selection by drafting players who are ranked near the selection number on my overall Big Board. Sorry, Jets fans, you can't steal Ikem Ekwonu or Aidan Hutchinson in Round 2.
Scroll to the bottom to see what ESPN Jets reporter Rich Cimini thinks of my mock draft for the team he covers. Let's start with the No. 4 overall pick: