The Jets have nine picks in the 2021 NFL Draft. They have three picks in the first five rounds including the No. 2 and No. 23 overall selection. Below is a compilation of mock drafts. The views expressed are not representative of any Jets personnel.
ESPN - Mel Kiper
No. 4 (projected trade with ATL): TE Kyle Pitts (Florida)
"So the Jets move down, add priority picks and end up with one of the best players in this class. I still believe they're better off giving Sam Darnold another year and improving the talent around their quarterback. The 23-year-old is too talented to give up on. Darnold has never had a pass-catcher like Pitts, either. The 6-foot-6 Pitts can line out wide and in the slot, and I'd target him like a No. 1 wide receiver. As I mentioned on the First Draft podcast, he is going to end up as my highest-graded tight end ever. He's also extremely young -- he was born in 2000 and will be 20 when he plays in Week 1. By the way, since the common draft era began in 1967, there has never been a tight end go this high. Pitts could be the first."
No. 23 (via SEA): EDGE Kwity Paye (Michigan)
"I went with a tight end to the Jets with their first pick, and this pick could be for the best defensive prospect available. Robert Saleh's defense could use help at all levels. Paye is next up on my board. He had only 11.5 career sacks at Michigan, but he has athletic traits that NFL teams crave, which should push him into Round 1. You won't find many 270-pound defensive ends who can move like him."
NFL Network - Charley Casserly
No. 2: QB Zach Wilson (BYU)
"The Jets ultimately decide to trade Sam Darnold and go with the highly touted rookie."
No. 23 (via SEA): EDGE Joe Tryon (Washington)
"There's a chance the Jets fill this need in free agency, but if they don't, Tryon would fit well in Robert Saleh's scheme."
Pro Football Focus - Eric Eager and George Chahrouri
No. 8 (projected trade with CAR): TE Kyle Pitts (Florida)
"GC: The Jets' belief in Sam Darnold might cost them Zach Wilson, but it gives them a chance to beef up their weaponry and create a team reminiscent of the 49ers. Pitts is a tight end in name only; his dynamic skill set will be an asset wherever he lines up. Pitts gives new Jets head coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur a chess piece like George Kittle or Travis Kelce who can win from anywhere and at any level. Pitts earned a 96.1 PFF receiving grade and posted 10 catches on targets 20-plus yards downfield in 2020 — just five behind Alabama's DeVonta Smith on 11 fewer targets."
No. 23 (via SEA): WR Rondale Moore (Purdue)
"EE: The Jets, after sticking with Sam Darnold, get new head coach Robert Saleh his Deebo Samuel/Brandon Aiyuk clone with the pick from the Jamal Adams trade. Moore, who missed much of the past two seasons, is as dangerous with the ball in his hands as anyone in this draft. And along with Kyle Pitts, he should finally give the Jets the production they've longed for since they traded a bunch of picks for Darnold's draft slot three years ago."
Touchdown Wire on USA Today - Doug Farrar
No. 2: QB Zach Wilson (BYU)
"While I do believe that [Sam] Darnold could work decently in a [Mike] LaFleur offense, there are going to be a lot of Kyle Shanahan/Matt LaFleur characteristics in the Jets' new system and Darnold isn't the first guy who comes to mind when you think about a quarterback who excels in boot-action and the other staples. Wilson, on the other hand, has the perfect profile to bring the most out of that type of scheme. An easy thrower on the move, Wilson also has the demonstrated ability to make consistently accurate second-reaction throws. He was especially devastating when using play-action, completing 89 of 123 passes for 1,548 yards, 20 touchdowns, and no interceptions."
No.23 (via SEA): WR Elijah Moore (Ole Miss)
"Since we've given the Jets a new quarterback in Zach Wilson, let's give Wilson a new table-setting receiver. Now that Mike LaFleur has replaced Adam Gase as the shot-caller in Gang Green's offense, you can expect hallmarks of the Kyle Shanahan passing game, as LaFleur was Shanahan's passing game coordinator in 2019 and 2020, and has been working with Shanahan since 2014. So, expect schemed-open receivers, a ton of motion and backfield movement, and the maximization of targets who can move in space. There are few players in this class more inclined to meet that last qualification than Ole Miss's Elijah Moore.
"Last season, Moore caught a preposterous 86 catches for 1,193 yards and eight touchdowns in just eight games. Whether from the slot or outside, he consistently proved to be one of the most elusive and toughest receivers to bring down in the country, as his 5.9 yards after catch per reception and 18 forced missed tackles proved. If Moore were 6-0 and 200 pounds putting up those numbers, that would be one thing — but at 5-foot-11 and 184 pounds, he just packs a wallop you don't often see from receivers his size, and he does so without sacrificing a bit of his game-breaking ability."
