Could the Jets take a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft?

The New York Jets (3-12) have had one of the worse seasons in recent franchise history and it didn't help that the franchise traded away cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. While New York received young wide receiver Adonai Mitchell and plenty of first-round picks for their troubles, the Jets now have to figure out how to spend those picks wisely.

In a recent mock for the 2026 NFL Draft by Pro Football Focus (PFF), Gordon McGuinness projected the Jets to select Clemson defensive linemen Peter Woods with the fourth overall pick.

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While defensive line is one of the many areas that New York has to address either through the draft or in free-agency, many fans are probably wondering if the Jets will use their highest pick to take a quarterback.

The two best quarterbacks in the 2026 class are expected to be Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, who is fresh off winning the Heisman trophy, and Oregon's Dante Moore. However, McGuinness has Mendoza going to the Miami Dolphins with the first overall pick in the draft via trade and Moore going to the Las Vegas Raiders with the second overall pick.

PFF conducted a 2026 mock draft on Dec. 15 in which Max Chadwick had the Jets trading up for the first overall pick so these two mock drafts could underscore how competitive the quarterback market will be in the draft. New York will finish the 2025 season with Brady Cook starting at quarterback, but that was after Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor had their chances to prove if they were the signal-caller of the future for the Jets.

The Jets could go a number of directions with their first pick in the 2026 draft, but their passing offense ranks 31st or worse in yards, touchdowns, and net yards gained per pass attempt.

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Taking Woods would definitely boost a defensive line that struggled to stop the run in the wake of the Williams trade, but Mendoza or Moore could be the quarterback that the Jets need to speed up this rebuild and finally start winning games again.

This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Could the Jets take a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft?