Eight current Jets who could shape the team’s NFL Draft decisions

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One of Aaron Glenn’s first tasks as Jets head coach when he was hired in January: Learn about the players on the roster.

“We’re going to sit there and watch every game tape there is,” Glenn said. “And then we’re going to look at the whole roster … Everybody is under the microscope. That’s just the way it is.”

Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey had to familiarize themselves with the entire roster via film, and they’ve had a chance to learn it on a deeper level since many players reported for voluntary offseason workouts. Glenn hasn’t spoken publicly about the majority of the players they inherited from the previous regime, with a few exceptions. There have been raves for wide receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner. He complimented wide receiver Allen Lazard before the Jets, surprisingly, adjusted his contract to keep him around for 2025. He praised Tyrod Taylor at the combine, and cited defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, linebacker Quincy Williams, guard Alijah Vera-Tucker and center Joe Tippmann as players he’d rather talk about than Aaron Rodgers (though he didn’t go into detail about any of them). Finally: He praised defensive end Jermaine Johnson and linebacker Jamien Sherwood at the league meeting.

That’s a long way of saying: Nobody outside of the Jets building really knows how Glenn feels about most of the roster, but Glenn’s assessments will help drive whatever moves the Jets make in the NFL Draft this weekend. Here are eight players that might (or might not) factor into decisions the Jets make:

RB Breece Hall

He’s the biggest name on this list by a longshot — and the subject of some pre-draft discourse when speculation ran rampant that the Jets might consider drafting Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty at No. 7 and trading Hall for draft assets. That feels unlikely as we sit on the draft’s doorstep, but the real answer of how Glenn feels about Hall will come if they actually pass on drafting Jeanty and all of the other top running back prospects expected to be picked in the first few rounds.

Glenn was asked about Hall at the owners meetings last month and mostly used it as a chance to deflect and say the Jets feel like they have three quality running backs: Hall, Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis.

“I think mentally (Hall is) in a good place,” Glenn said. “We have three running backs on this team that we’re going to utilize as much as possible. They’re all big men. They can run. They’re violent. They’re physical. Once we get the players in and see how they operate, I think every player is going to be happy with how they go about this offense — and he’ll be one of them.”

Of that trio, Hall is the only one in the final year of his contract — Allen and Davis are signed through 2027 — and he is coming off a down season to be sure. He had only one 100-yard rushing game, averaged a career-low 4.2 yards per carry and ranked in the bottom half of qualifying running backs in a few metrics: 39th of 46 in EPA per rush, 37th in percentage of rushes for zero or negative yards, and 39th in first down percentage.

On the flipside, he’ll be three years removed from a torn ACL, Aaron Rodgers is gone (meaning the Jets will run the ball more after finishing last in rushing attempts in 2024) and Hall remains one of the NFL’s best pass-catching backs (he ranks fifth in scrimmage yards over the last two seasons). Hall is still young, inexpensive, and explosive enough to score anytime he touches the ball. We’ll have clarity on how the Jets feel about him if they draft a running back early.

TE Jeremy Ruckert

The Long Island native has been a bit of a disappointment since the Jets drafted him in the third round in 2022. The plan was to let him develop for a year or two before he was ready to make an impact in his third year — it didn’t come to pass. Ruckert had 18 catches for 105 yards and no touchdowns in 2024 while grading poorly as a blocker. He’s yet to score a touchdown in the NFL.

The Jets’ tight end room might be its weakest position group on paper, consisting of Ruckert, free agent signee Stone Smartt and 2023 seventh-round pick Zack Kuntz. There is a feeling around the league, according to various league sources, that the Jets will draft Penn State tight end Tyler Warren if he’s there at No. 7. Even if they don’t, there are tight ends they’d likely consider in Rounds 2 or 3, like LSU’s Mason Taylor, Oregon’s Terrance Ferguson or Miami’s Elijah Arroyo.

It would be a surprise if the Jets don’t come out of this draft with at least one new tight end — and if Warren is there at No. 7, it feels likely at this point that it will be him.

WR Malachi Corley

The Jets not only drafted Corley in the third round last year, but they made sure to let everyone know that they tried to trade up into the second round to get him and that they had him ranked as the fourth-best receiver in the class, ahead of current Jaguar Brian Thomas Jr. The Jets even shared a text message exchange between Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas showing how much they prioritized adding Corley, out of Western Kentucky.

Then … the Jets coaching staff either didn’t have a plan for him or they underestimated Corley’s NFL readiness. The “YAC King” in college not only barely touched the ball (five touches for 42 yards) but barely played. He was a healthy scratch in eight games. He played one or zero offensive snaps in four of the nine games he appeared in, and had six snaps in two other games. His signature moment was a lowlight, when he let go of the football just before crossing the goal line against the Texans on Halloween night, turning a touchdown into a turnover.

Corley has intriguing potential as a gadget player and someone known in college for making plays after the catch. Maybe a clean slate with a new coaching staff — though wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson returns — will pay dividends. The Jets as of now have Wilson, Josh Reynolds and Allen Lazard locked into roles. They also signed Tyler Johnson. They are expected to add at least one more receiver, probably in the early rounds. If they don’t, that could say something about their belief that Corley can make an impact in 2025.

OT Carter Warren

Like Ruckert, Warren was selected as a developmental prospect (fourth round) in the 2023 draft. Early returns have been mixed. Warren has gotten reps at both left and right tackle, but the 26-year-old graded poorly across the board in each of his first two seasons. When he got lengthy playing time as a rookie, he allowed five sacks in only 258 pass blocking snaps. It’s too early to give up on Warren as a potential depth piece, but the Jets already signed 27-year-old Chukwuma Okorafor (60 career starts) this offseason to push for the starting right tackle job — it would be a major surprise if the Jets didn’t draft at least one more offensive tackle this weekend.

DT Leonard Taylor III

The Jets let both Javon Kinlaw and Solomon Thomas leave in free agency and replaced them with mostly big-bodied, run-stuffing veterans: Derrick Nnadi, Byron Cowart and Jay Tufele. Coming out of Miami, Taylor was one of the highest-rated undrafted free agents in 2024; he showed some flashes of talent throughout his rookie season. He finished with 1.5 sacks, four QB hits and nine pressures in 114 pass-rushing snaps. Per PFF, he had the best pass-rushing grade among all rookie defensive tackles. The Jets have been tied to Michigan’s Mason Graham in the first round and have hosted some other promising defensive tackle prospects, like Tennessee’s Omar Norman-Lott, for visits. I would expect them to draft at least one DT, but Taylor is someone to remember heading into the summer.

DE Micheal Clemons

The 27-year-old is not exactly beloved among Jets fans. Due to some mistakes Douglas made in building the defensive line last year, Clemons was thrown into a much bigger role than he was ready for — and he struggled. Of 69 edge rushers to play at least 500 snaps, PFF ranked Clemons 67th overall, 64th in run defense and 60th in pass rushing. At this point, he’s become better known for boneheaded penalties at inopportune times, and the image of him belly-flopping onto a pile in a game against the Bills will be an everlasting image of his tenure.

Saleh and Jets coaches would often explain Clemons’ mistakes away as intensity, and often passionately defended his performance — even when it was clear he was struggling. It will be interesting to see if Glenn views him as a factor in the edge-rusher rotation.

S Tony Adams

The Jets offered Adams a restricted free agent tender and he signed it, locking him in at a $3.2 million cap hit in 2025 — perfectly reasonable for a player who has at least shown enough to believe he’s worth keeping for depth. The previous Jets coaching staff was very high on Adams and his potential but owner Woody Johnson was not, telling interim coach/defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to bench him at one point last season.

Adams is a tough, versatile, athletic safety but his playmaking took a downturn in 2024 (one interception); in 2023, he had three interceptions. He still graded out solidly overall: PFF had him graded 29th of 73 safeties to play at least 500 snaps, and 20th in coverage.

Adams will play a role for the defense, the question is just how big. The Jets didn’t re-sign Chuck Clark or Ashtyn Davis in free agency — though they did bring back Isaiah Oliver, who doubles as a nickel cornerback. They signed free agent Andre Cisco to a one-year deal worth up to $10 million, locking him into one starting job. There are some highly intriguing safeties in this draft class that would be good fits in Glenn’s defense. How high the Jets draft a safety (or safeties) would be an indication of how they feel about Adams’ viability as a starter.

CB Qwan’Tez Stiggers

The Jets will likely broach a contract extension with Sauce Gardner sometime after the NFL Draft. It won’t come cheap — he wants to be the NFL’s highest-paid corner — but it will be worth it for a two-time All-Pro. The Jets just invested in Brandon Stephens in free agency on a three-year deal, nickel Michael Carter II is under contract and (if the Jets view him as a corner) they just re-signed Oliver too.

Carter had an injury-plagued 2024 and needs to show he can stay healthy, while Stephens is coming off a down year with the Ravens, though the Jets believe in his potential. The real wildcard is Stiggers, a player the previous staff was extremely high on. He flashed some impressive talent in training camp last year but was always a developmental player considering his background — he didn’t play in college, but did play in the CFL before getting drafted last year. He only played 48 defensive snaps last season, so not a big enough sample size to really evaluate, though he was a key contributor on special teams (215 snaps).

The Jets have four playable cornerbacks in Gardner, Stephens, Carter and (potentially) Oliver. They have one of the best defensive back coaching rooms in the NFL with Glenn, Chris Harris and Dre’ Bly — which bodes well for someone like Stiggers, as long as the Jets don’t push him too far down the depth chart. Some recent reports have tied the Jets to Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron, but picking him at No. 7 wouldn’t make much sense ultimately.

(Photo of Malachi Corley: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)

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