For many years, the Jets have been trying to find a franchise quarterback.
The 2026 NFL Draft may current the Jets with two doable choices: Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza or Oregon quarterback Dante Moore.
The issue is, the Jets would decide seventh within the 2026 NFL Draft if it had been held at the moment. That possible gained’t be excessive sufficient to draft both Mendoza or Moore. But when the Jets are in love with both Mendoza or Moore, they need to do no matter it takes to draft them.
It isn’t just like the Jets don’t have the draft capital to make a commerce work. They added three further first-round picks after dealing each Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams on the commerce deadline final month.
The Jets acquired a 2026 first-round decide and a 2027 first-round decide for Gardner. In addition they obtained a 2026 second-round decide and a 2027 first-round decide for Williams.
Contemplating the present state of the Colts, the decide the Jets have might be within the excessive teenagers, particularly if Indianapolis continues to lose following Daniel Jones’ season-ending Achilles harm. The Colts have misplaced three straight video games and have fallen from among the best groups within the AFC to out of the playoffs altogether if the season started at the moment.
In ESPN’s Area Yates’ newest mock draft, the Jets ship each of their first-round picks (Nos. 7 and 18) and a Day 2 decide to the Giants for the No. 1 total choice. Yates has the Jets drafting Mendoza, which might make many followers who need the crew to tank the ultimate 4 video games very completely happy.
The Jets may wait till the 2027 NFL Draft to pick a quarterback. Nonetheless, that wouldn’t be smart for a number of causes.
Gang Inexperienced will miss the playoffs for the fifteenth consecutive season. In addition they haven’t had a successful season since 2015, when the Jets completed 10-6 and barely missed the playoffs.
Loads of followers have criticized Jets coach Aaron Glenn at numerous factors within the season. Would Jets followers patiently look ahead to the crew so as to add perhaps a quarterback like Texas’ Arch Manning or Ohio State’s Julian Sayin whereas going by one other shedding season with rising ticket costs at MetLife Stadium? Additionally, accidents occur on a regular basis in sports activities, and there’s no assure that Manning or Sayin would keep wholesome or also have a productive sufficient yr in 2027 to warrant being chosen within the prime 5.
Jets basic supervisor Darren Mougey has completed a terrific job of accumulating draft property, giving them flexibility for each 2026 and 2027. However he shouldn’t be frightened to make a drastic transfer to get Mendoza and Moore. In Yates’ deal, the Jets can keep that flexibility whereas not giving up the farm to draft a quarterback.
Clearly, the Jets have some curiosity in Mendoza. In any other case, Mougey, senior soccer advisor Rick Spielman and the Jets brass wouldn’t have attended Indiana’s sport towards Penn State final month.
In concept, draft picks give followers hope that the crew can usher in prime expertise. Sure, the Jets have a number of wants at different key positions, like vast receiver and presumably alongside the offensive and defensive traces. However they’re projected to have $98.2 million of wage cap house accessible subsequent offseason, which might handle fairly a number of wants in free company.
Mendoza has all of the instruments to achieve success in Tanner Engstrand’s offense. At 6-5, 225 kilos, he has the stature of a standard pocket passer together with the accuracy and ball placement that can translate properly to the NFL.
In 13 video games after transferring from Cal, Mendoza has thrown for two,980 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. He additionally accomplished 71.5% % of his passes whereas the Heisman finalist led the Hoosiers to their first Massive Ten Championship since 1967.
Mendoza is a protocol pocket passer who can escape strain. His anticipation and ball placement are arguably the very best within the nation. Doesn’t he sound quite a bit like one other former Golden Bears quarterback?
Watching Mendoza play is much like seeing Detroit’s Jared Goff each Sunday, somebody Glenn noticed firsthand day-after-day when he was the Lions’ defensive coordinator for 4 seasons (2021-24). Each are clever gamers who depend on their timing and accuracy to place the ball within the good spot. Whereas they is probably not probably the most cellular guys on the earth, Mendoza and Goff have sufficient athletic capacity to flee defenders in and out of the pocket.
The Jets have sought a quarterback in a number of methods during the last twenty years. They’ve acquired order veterans who had been previous their prime in Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. They tried to draft a splashy, less-seasoned quarterback they hoped to groom in Zach Wilson and that was a whole unmitigated catastrophe. They even tried the retread route, signing Justin Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract, hoping he may flip his profession round in a unique zip code, and all that has translated into the league’s worst passing assault.
Now it’s time to go the film “Draft Day” route and do no matter it takes to convey Mendoza to MetLife Stadium in 2026. If the Jets wait till 2027, they may miss their likelihood to get a prime quarterback in case you’re choosing late in 2027, so get your man in Mendoza or Moore in case you genuinely consider in them.
