The conventional wisdom one week before the start of the 2026 NFL Draft is that the Jets, with the No. 2 overall selection, will add more elite talent to the defense at edge. Then, with the No. 16 pick (at present), the chatter has been laser-focused on adding a fast and physical running-mate for WR1 Garrett Wilson.

"To me, it's [wide receiver] the second-biggest need on the roster," ESPN's Field Yates told senior reporter Eric Allen on the "Now Boarding" feature. "Take a little bit of the pressure off of Garrett Wilson. We saw some flashes from [Adonai] AD Mitchell last year. There have been players that have had their moments for the Jets at wide receiver over the past few seasons.

"But we're looking for something sticky, or something that can be a legitimate building block, and with Garrett entrenched as your No. 1 wide receiver and a very good player, obviously as well, the question that the front office and the coaching staff has to evaluate is, is there a specific type of wide receiver if they're looking to complement Garrett Wilson."

Two positions -- wide receiver and edge -- have been adjudged to be two of the deepest positions ahead of next week's NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, April 23-25. There's value at the top, middle and even in later rounds.

"A lot of good options there at No. 16," Yates said. "That is one of the themes of this draft at some of the deeper spots. Specifically, it's not just the depth, it's the variety. It's like going to the ice cream shop, a lot of different flavors to choose from."

Ohio State's Carnell Tate is considered by many to be the first WR off the board next Thursday. In no particular order, the other top players are Makai Lemon (USC), Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State), Denzel Boston (Washington) and Omar Cooper (Indiana).

Tyson (6-2, 203) missed time last season with a hamstring injury that he aggravated at the NFL Combine in February, and he did not participate in ASU's pro day. He caught 61 passes for 711 yards and 8 TD in 9 games this past season and will hold a private workout for NFL teams on Friday, according to ESPN. Though some observers consider him the No. 2 talent, his history of injuries -- at Colorado in 2022 he tore his ACL, MCL and PCL -- could be problematic.

"The questions surrounding Jordyn Tyson, I think by now, are obvious," Yates said. "People are wondering if durability is a concern. I chalk up what's happened during this predraft process a little bit up to bad luck, to the hamstring injury. This is not him recovering from a major surgery or something. I just think the explosiveness is really hard to deny. "

Yates was put on the spot and asked to construct his perfect WR based on several criteria -- speed, hands, toughness/physicality and yards after catch.

Speed
Brenen Thompson of Mississippi State ran the fastest 40, 4.26, at the NFL Combine

"Top speed would be Brenen Thompson," Yates said. "It's kind of low hanging fruit, but he ran the fastest 40. And he is just electric, the best route runner in the class."

He added: "Although Carnell Tate, who has maybe not quite dominant speed, better than this 4.53 at the combine. But man alive, is he a nuanced route runner."

Hands
Carnell Tate's got a good argument for that one as well, which probably is the reason why he might well be the first wide receiver off the board," Yates said. "If I had to choose a different guy, I'll go with Denzel Boston, who had just 3 drops over the past two seasons, and 198 total targets from Washington. Great size [6-4, 212] as well, but very natural hands catcher."

Toughness/Physicality
"We'll go to Makai Lemon, who is tough," Yates said. "He may not have the frame [5-11, 192] that you normally associate with a player who brings all the toughness, but he is an extremely tough and a physical player."

In his three seasons at USC, Lemon had 137 receptions for 2,008 yards, 14 TDs and an impressive 14.7 yards per catch average. Last season he won the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top WR.

Yards After Catch
"So some of the guys that I haven't discussed yet, let's debate between Zachariah Branch [Georgia] and Skyler Bell [UConn], who statistically, the two of them had the most yards after the catch per catch this past season," Yates said. "But I'll give the nod to Omar Cooper Jr. from Indiana. It's not that he has this unbelievable speed. He was a 4.42 guy at the combine ... that's very good. But he's so patient. He's got good contact balance, really good vision, very instinctive as well. You could tell that those Indiana wide receivers were extremely well coached and disciplined. And I think that Omar Cooper Jr. has a case for the best run-after-catch player in the class among the wide receivers."