Top Jets Draft Classes and Their Impact

The Draft is around the corner, as NFL Teams look to stock up on young talent to build the future of their respective organizations.  Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey look to start their tenure with a bang by hitting on every Jets Draft pick possible.  Not only building around Justin Fields, but adding to a roster that already has some young talent that’s eager to win.

As Jets fans know, the draft could go either two ways for the team.  They could either have a John Idzik draft, where almost every draft pick could be a bust, or they could have an impactful draft, as they did in 2000 and 2022, where they hit on every draft pick, changing the course of the franchise for years to come.

Teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, and Philadelphia Eagles have all had recent success over the past years.  Coaching is a factor for sure, but drafting the right players can have a tremendous impact on the direction of a franchise.

When you look at the New York Jets, their recent draft history has shown why they haven’t qualified for NFL playoffs in 14 years, due to poor drafting.  This first draft by the new regime is crucial for the franchise as it will determine the future of the team.

Now that the 2025 NFL Draft is upon us, let’s take a second to look back at some of the top draft classes in the Jets’ history and how much they impacted the franchise.

1977

1975 – 1977 was a tough stretch to be a Jets fan, 1976 has to be the worst of those years.  For starters, legendary college football coach Lou Holtz was their head coach.  In his first and only season in the NFL, it was a complete disaster that made the Adam Gase tenure look good.  Lou Holtz admitted to Steve Sabol that he never watched an NFL game leading up to the Jets’ first preseason game of that year, which should summarize all you need to know about how the tenure went.  The Jets that year only produced 12 points on offense while giving up 27.2 points per game, with an average point differential of -15.2.  Lou Holtz would resign before the last game of that year against the Cincinnati Bengals.  This period in the Jets’ history seems to be a forgotten one and probably should stay that way.

Entering the 1977 draft, Walt Michaels took over as head coach and was hoping to bring a new energy to the Jets organization.  This was also the first year in the post-Joe Namath era.

In their first pick, they selected USC tackle Marvin Powell 4th overall, who would go on to become one of the best offensive linemen in Jets history.  In his nine seasons, he would be selected to five pro bowls, three all-pros, and win team MVP honors in 1979.

The next pick was stud wide-receiver Wesley Walker, who would play 13 seasons in the NFL, all with the Jets.  The second-rounder was known for playing with essentially one eye, as he was legally blind in his left eye.  Walker became one of the best pass catchers in Jets history as he is only second to Don Maynard in the leading wide-receiver categories in catches, yards, and touchdowns.  The two-time pro-bowler ended his career with 438 catches, 8,306 yards, and 71 touchdowns.  Walker’s best game came against the Miami Dolphins in a week 3 matchup in 1986, where Walker had four receiving touchdowns in a QB duel in Ken O’ Brian vs Dan Marino.

The best of the class was none other than Hall-of-Fame defensive tackle Joe Klecko, who became a steal of a pick in the 6th round out of Temple University.  A key member of the New York Sack Exchange, Klecko forged himself as one of the best defenders in Jets history.  At the end of his career, he was a two-time all-pro, four-time pro-bowler, led the league in sacks in 1981, in the Jets Ring of Honor, and had his No. 73 retired by the Jets.  It’s criminal that he didn’t get called into Canton sooner, but he finally got the call in 2023.

Dan Alexander played 13 seasons for the Jets as their starting guard for almost his whole career.

Kevin Long led the team in rushing in 1978 with 954 rushing yards.

This draft class would be crucial in determining how good the Jets would be in the 80s.  Two members of the sack exchange came out of this draft along with a starting safety.

Marty Lyons, selected 14th overall out of Alabama, playing under Bear Bryant, Lyons brought toughness and hard-nose football to the Jets’ defense.  A key member of the sack exchange, the defensive tackle/end was a nightmare to game plan against for 11 years.  Winner of the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 1984, his character as a person showed on the field and off the field.  He’s also recognized for his philanthropy work through the Marty Lyons Foundation, which helps grant the wishes of terminally ill children.  Lyons was also the Jets radio analyst from 2002-2023.

After selecting Lyons, the Jets drafted another stud, defensive end Mark Gastineau, who was also part of the Sack exchange.  Gastineau had a tremendous career in the NFL, making himself known as one of the best pass rushers to step on the field.  He won Defensive Player of the Year in 1982 and became the first defensive player to lead the league in sacks in consecutive seasons.  Before Michael Strahan, Gastineau owned the sack record with 22.0 in 1984.  He finished his career as a five-time pro-bowler and a three-time all-pro.

Johnny Lynn was a starting defensive back for the Jets for seven seasons.

2000

Arguably the best draft class in Jets history, this class would propel the Jets into contention for the 2000s as they made the playoffs five times, when they only made it once in the seven seasons prior. After acquiring two first-round picks in a trade for Keyshawn Johnson to the Tampa Bay Bucs and a first-rounder from trading Belichick to the New England Patriots, the Jets were the first team and only team in NFL history to select four first-round draft picks.  

Bill Parcells stepped down from coaching and was the GM for this draft, so having one of the best football minds drafting certainly helped the Jets.  

The first of the bunch was Shaun Ellis, selected 12th overall out of Tennessee.  Ellis played for the Jets for 11 seasons and was a key defender for most of the 2000s.  Two-time pro-bowler was a key contributor to their back-to-back AFC Championship run from 2009-2010.

The very next pick was pass rusher John Abraham out of South Carolina.  Abraham was a tremendous pass rusher for the Jets as he was a two-time all-pro and selected to the Pro Bowl three times in his Jets career.  His best season was in 2001 when he led the league in forced fumbles with 6 while collecting 13.0 sacks, earning all-pro honors.  When the Jets traded him to the Atlanta Falcons in 2006 for a first-rounder, his presence was sorely missed as the Jets struggled to find a pass-rusher for quite a while.  

With the 18th overall pick, the Jets selected QB Chad Pennington out of Marshall.  Pennington sat for two years before taking over as the starting QB in 2002.  Even though injuries derailed most of his career, people argue he’s the best QB in Jets history besides Joe Namath.  Leading the Jets to the playoffs three times, including winning the Jets’ last AFC East division title in 2002.  Pennington won Comeback Player of the Year in 2006.  

The last of the four first-round picks was Anthony Becht from West Virginia, who was a serviceable tight end for the Jets and played out his contract.  He is now the Jets radio analyst, taking over for Marty Lyons. 

Laveranues Coles, a wide receiver out of Florida State, was the steal of the draft as the Jets drafted him in the third round and played seven seasons for the Jets.  Coles had 1,000 yards in two seasons with the Jets; his best season came in 2002 with a stat line of 89/1,264/5.  

2006

This would be Mike Tannenbaum’s first draft as Jets GM and the first post-Herm Edwards era.  To start Tannenbaum’s tenure as Jets GM, it was a slam-dunk of a draft.

Their first pick was Jets legend and Long Island product, left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson.  Selected fourth overall out of the University of Virginia, Ferguson became a staple of the Jets offensive line for ten years.  The three-time pro-bowler is known for his durability, as he only missed one snap in his entire career.  

After acquiring a first-rounder for John Abraham from the Atlanta Falcons, the Jets selected Nick Mangold out of Ohio State.  Like Ferguson, Mangold became another staple of the Jets offensive line for the next decade and solidified himself as one of the best centers in the league throughout his career.  Mangold finished his career as a seven-time pro-bowler and two-time all-pro.

Tannenbaum hit on his late-round picks.  Eric Smith was a serviceable safety throughout his Jets career.  Brad Smith was a decent Swiss army knife as he was used at multiple positions on offense, while also contributing on special teams as a great kickoff returner.  Leon Washington was a steal in the fourth round as he was great for the Jets as a backup running back, but he’s mostly known for his work on special teams as he made the Pro Bowl and all-pro honors in 2008.  Drew Coleman was a decent backup during his time with the Jets.

2007

Even though the Jets had four picks in this draft class, their impact on the Jets has to be mentioned.

After trading up to the 14th pick with the Carolina Panthers, the Jets managed to snag Darrelle Revis out of the University of Pittsburgh, before the Pittsburgh Steelers could take him the very next pick.  Revis would go on to have a Hall-of-Fame career with the Jets as he showed the definition of a lockdown cornerback.  Nicknamed Revis Island, quarterbacks would never throw his way, leaving No.1 wide receivers stranded.  His 2009 seasons prove that as he locked down star wide receivers like Steve Smith, Andre Johnson, Randy Moss, Reggie Wayne, Roddy White, Terrell Owens, Chad Ochocinco, and Torry Holt.  

In the second round, they selected David Harris out of Michigan.  Harris would be a staple to the Jets’ defense during his Jets career and is top five in the franchise in tackles.  His signature moment came in the 2010 Divisional round against the Patriots when his first-quarter interception helped kick-start the Jets’ momentum toward upsetting the Patriots.  

2022

Some might argue that this is the best draft class in team history.  For now, the 2000 class still reigns at the top, but the 2022 class has the potential to dethrone the 2000 class.  

In this draft, the Jets managed to snag cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson with their two top-ten picks.  It was the second straight year that they had two first-round picks after sending safety Jamal Adams to the Seattle Seahawks, where the Seahawks surprisingly forked over two first-round picks in the 2021 and 2022 drafts.  

Since joining the league, Sauce Gardner has made himself known as one of the league’s shutdown corners.  His presence as a lockdown corner makes it hard for defensive coordinators to game plan around his physicality and dominance at the position.  In his rookie season, he did not disappoint one bit as he led in pass deflections, earning all-pro honors, and winning Defensive Player of the Year.  Sauce has shown leadership abilities in the locker room and off the field by maintaining positive vibes and great gratitude toward being a Jet.  It’s thrilling to see that Sauce has been very outspoken about being a part of the change in New York and ending the 14-year playoff drought.  

Like Sauce, it was no problem for Garrett Wilson to adjust to the league as he helped the Jets right away.  The highlight of his rookie season was in week 2 where he caught 8 receptions for 102 yards, the second touchdown was the game-winner as the Jets shocked the Browns in a thrilling victory.  Wilson also won Offensive Rookie of the Year, as he and Sauce became the first tandem to achieve that since the Saints did it in 2017 when Alvin Kamara and Marshon Lattimore.  Ever since then, Wilson has been the Jets WR1.  Hitting 1,000 yards in all three seasons (despite who’s been under center at QB) along with 279 career receptions.  The scary thing is, that Garrett Wilson hasn’t reached his full peak yet, which annoys Jets fans along with NFL fans because they know what he can do with a competent QB.  Hopefully, the addition of Justin Fields can help Garrett reach his full potential.  

Jermaine Johnson II was also the last first-rounder selected.  Johnson II has developed into a premier pass rusher for the Jets as he was selected to the pro-bowl in 2023.  A ruptured Achilles ended his season in week 2 of last year against the Titans.  Johnson II will look to bounce back from a gruesome injury.

Breece Hall has been their leading running back for the past three seasons.  He looked poised to win rookie of the year over Garrett Wilson, but a torn ACL cut his season short.  Since then, Hall has shown flashes are greatness with his explosiveness and speed.  It’ll be interesting to see how the new Jets regime will use him.

Honorable Mention

• 1996 Draft Class
• 1993 Draft Class
• 1988 Draft Class
• 1984 Draft Class

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