Throughout the offseason, NewYorkJets.com reporters Eric Allen, Randy Lange and John Pullano will give their responses to a series of questions regarding the Jets.
Today's question: Which prospects should Jets fans watch out for at the NFL Scouting Combine?
EA: There will be storylines aplenty for the Jets fans to follow at the NFL Scouting Combine. In addition to the 319 prospects invited to the Combine, GM Darren Mougey and HC Aaron Glenn will speak to the media for the first time since their season-ending news conference. Glenn has made several changes to his staff, and he'll address many of his newcomers including OC Frank Reich and DC Brian Duker. On the player personnel front, the league's negotiating window opens March 9, and the Jets have 24 players who can become unrestricted free agents. OvertheCap.com projects the Jets have more than $79 million cap space and Mougey will address needs in March. The first domino in the offseason is always free agency and there will be a lot of media converging in Indy to discuss what that might look like across the league. As far as the prospects are concerned, I think fans should take an eyes wide open approach. Nobody has more early draft capital than the Jets with the four selections in the top 44, starting with No. 2 overall. With Fernando Mendzoa a heavy favorite to go No. 1 overall to the Raiders, which quarterbacks can create some buzz? Does an offensive playmaker jump into the conversation at No. 2 or does this pick ultimately come down to a three-horse race between edges David Bailey (Texas Tech) and Ruben Bain (Miami) and Ohio State hybrid Arvell Reese? We know the receiver class is stacked, so you must circle that entire group starting with the likes of Carnell Tate (Ohio State), Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State) and Makai Lemon (USC). The Jets need playmakers on defense, and this is a safety group with a ton of promise.
RL: Ohio State LB Arvell Reese looks to be every draft analyst's favorite No. 2 overall pick for the Jets, so Jets fans should watch him at the Combine, but I'll go right to QB. Will Alabama's Ty Simpson be there at No. 16? Possible. But lower in Round 1, or at 33? Some analyst big boards say so. The question is whether the Jets see Simpson as their QB for the next decade, or even for just the next year. He'll put on a show at Indy, but then what will the Jets' exhaustive research say about him? He looked sharp for most of 'Bama's season with a live pocket presence, accuracy, decisiveness and mobility. Then in the postseason, not so much. The Jets certainly have the right people in place on Aaron Glenn's staff — OC Frank Reich and QBs coach Bill Musgrave — to assist GM Darren Mougey's personnel team in the evaluations. Other players to keep tabs on who could be there for the Jets: WRs Carnell Tate of Ohio State, Jordyn Tyson of Arizona State and Denzel Boston of Washington at 16, with CBs Colton Hood of Tennessee and Brandon Cisse of South Carolina, and Toledo S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in the 33/44 range.
JP: Jets fans should have an eye on the top pass catchers in the 2026 Draft Class, and which prospect could pair best with WR Garrett Wilson. Since Wilson's arrival in New York in '22, only once has a fellow pass catcher on the team surpass 600 yards over a full season. If the Jets choose to take a wideout with one of their 4 selections in the top 44 in April's NFL Draft, that player will likely be showcasing his talents at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis next week. The top three consensus WR prospects early in the process have been Ohio State's Carnell Tate, USC's Makai Lemon and Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson, all of which have questions that will be answered during the combine. For Tate, there have been queries about his speed and ability to separate, making his 40-yard-dash a point of interest. At USC, Lemon was listed at 5-11, 195. And at the combine, teams will receive an exact measurement. And finally, for Tyson, there remain question marks about his health, making the combine's comprehensive medical exams valuable for all NFL scouts.
