Parting with Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, to paraphrase Shakespeare, was such sweet sorrow. But any sadness of seeing their two former first-round draft choices and top defensive performers depart now gives way to the sweetness of what the Jets received in return.

The trade of Gardner to Indianapolis brought to the Jets WR Adonai Mitchell and also the Colts' first-round pick, 16th overall, as well as their first-rounder in the 2027 draft. Sending Williams to Dallas brought to the Green & White DL Mazi Smith plus the Cowboys' second-round choice this year, No. 44 overall, and a first-rounder in '27.

It is quite a portfolio of draft capital, and being capital, any of those picks could be dealt away before the '26 NFL Draft opens for business in Pittsburgh in late April. But for the moment, their draft situation lends itself to several observations on their lofty position as the 2026 offseason unfolds.

The Jets have the 2 and 16 selections in this year's Round 1.
It's rare that the Jets have had more potential value in their first two picks. The only other times when the value was arguably greater were both in recent drafts — 2021, with QB Zach Wilson (No. 2 overall) and OL Alijah Vera-Tucker (14th), with AVT still with the team, and 2022, with Gardner (No. 4) and WR Garrett Wilson (10th), not to mention Jermaine Johnson (26th) later in the opening round.

Other contenders for greatest impact from two high first-rounders would be the 2000 "Four Aces" draft, with the first two aces being defensive standouts Shaun Ellis (12th) and John Abraham (13th). Six years later, the Jets anchored their offensive line for a decade when they chose T D'Brickashaw Ferguson (No. 4) and C Nick Mangold (29th).

The Jets own the most selections in the top 45 of this year's draft.
Besides Nos. 2 and 16, the Jets move to the top of their 3-14 cohort and select first in Round 2 (33rd overall). Then they have the Cowboys' No. 44 pick.

The first time the Jets had four in the top 45 was 1984, when they held Nos. 10, 15, 37 and 39 and with them brought in S Russell Carter, DE Ron Faurot, C Jim Sweeney and TE Glenn Dennison. Faurot and Dennison played for the Green & White very little, Carter a little more, and Sweeney a lot — 158 starts, beginning at LG and LT before settling in as the Jets' capable, seemingly indestructible starting center from 1988-94. Then of course came those Four Aces, which besides Ellis and Abraham included QB Chad Pennington (18th) and TE Anthony Becht (27th).

And the 2022 draft may have lost Sauce but at least until March still features starters Garrett Wilson (10th), LB Jermaine Johnson (26th) and RB Breece Hall (36th), with Hall able to become a free agent.

The Jets have eight selections in the first two rounds of the next two drafts combined.
Because the Dallas and Indy deals involve high picks next year as well as this year, . the Jets' prospects are arguably better than any other back-to-back drafts in franchise history.

In those drafts combined, the Jets have five first-rounders and three second-rounders The eight picks are the most of any NFL team and three more than the Browns, the Texans and the Rams with five each. And with three first-round choices next year, the Jets are the only team with multiple Round 1 picks in 2027.

The Jets have never spent eight picks on players in the first two rounds of back-to-back drafts. The closest they came was seven in 2021-22, with the four top picks from '22 listed above joining Wilson, Vera-Tucker and WR Elijah Moore from '21.

Six prime picks in consecutive drafts? That happened twice surrounding the 1984 draft cited above; the 2000 draft followed by the additions of Santana Moss and LaMont Jordan in '01, and the '22 foursome joined by Will McDonald IV and Joe Tippmann in '23.

In short, the Jets have never had a draft bounty to improve their NFL standing like they have now, beginning with those lucky numbers, 2, 16, 33 and 44, which can be cashed in on the first two nights of the draft on April 23-24.