The New England Patriots put a bow on their 2026 draft class on Saturday afternoon, a class that included top prospects Caleb Lomu and Gabe Jacas in the first and second rounds. Across the NFL, however, a Patriots' rival is thought to be one of the draft's major winners, and it's hard to disagree.
The New York Jets went into last season with hope for the future, especially after Week 1, which saw Justin Fields total 266 yards and three touchdowns.
Despite the loss, there seemed to be something to work with. Fields was 3/11 with 27 passing yards in the next game and was later benched after having less than 55 passing yards four times in nine games.
A midseason reset was deemed necessary, and New York traded Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner, each for a haul of draft picks. While they still have a long way to go before they can consider themselves competitive, there's no doubt they improved their squad through the draft via three first-round picks.
The Jets offense is a vastly improved unit ahead of the 2026 season
Last season, Fields led the Jets in passing yards with 1,259, and while he totaled 11 touchdowns to only 1 interception, he did so across nine games. The weapons around him were far from elite, but it didn't mean he didn't make it clear he wasn't the franchise QB.
In eight games, Garrett Wilson totaled 395 yards, and by the end of the season, he was still the team's leading receiver. Breece Hall's first thousand-yard season was in vain, as the Jets finished 3-14.
An offseason later, however, the team has new life. Geno Smith returned for a reunion via trade, while Cade Klubnik was selected in the fourth round to offer an alternative. Breece Hall was tagged to ensure his short-term future is in New York, while Wilson will return at full health in 2026.
Mason Taylor showed promise as a second-round pick in 2025, with 44 catches for 369 yards and a touchdown. Both offensive tackles are young and very good.
Through the draft, the Jets added Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq at No. 16 and Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. at No. 30. While Cooper was one of my favorite fits for the Patriots during the draft process, the former could prove to be a bigger problem for New England.
The Patriots struggle to defend tight ends, making the Kenyon Sadiq pick even worse for them
9/11 projected starters for the Patriots' defense are the same as last season. For the coaching staff and fans alike, that's a welcome statistic. The unit ranked 4th in PPG during the regular season in 2025, and allowed just 12 PPG during their Super Bowl run. They allowed only three touchdowns across their entire playoff run.
While largely keeping a top-five unit together is something to celebrate, there was one issue that plagued the Patriots all season: an inability to cover tight ends. Across the regular season and playoffs, the Patriots allowed only four 100-yard games all year, two of which were to tight ends.
Brock Bowers totaled 103 receiving yards in Week 1, one of only two times all season he hit the century mark. Dalton Kincaid had 108 yards in their Week 5 SNF affair, a career day as it was the first time in his career he had eclipsed 100 yards. It remains his career high.
Additionally, tight ends got in the end zone more often than Zak Kuhr would have liked. Each of Tommy Tremble and Mitchell Evans found pay dirt, while Taysom Hill found the endzone a week later. Harold Fannin and David Njoku each scored in Week 8, and in their second matchup against the Bills, Dawson Knox had a pair of touchdowns.
Additionally, Cade Otton's 82 yards in Week 10 were his second-most of the year.
Kenyon Sadiq could be a major issue for the Patriots
Sadiq is a freak athlete. At 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, he ran a record-breaking 4.39s 40-yard dash at the Combine, finishing his workout with a perfect 99/99 Next Gen Stats athletic score. He's admittedly very small for the position: the 9th percentile. Nonetheless, he's strong enough to box out cornerbacks and fast enough to outrun linebackers.
The Jets will no doubt focus on giving Smith easier throws, given his age and disastrous 2025 with the Raiders. The tight end offers a diversity of routes while being closest to the quarterback at the snap, making Sadiq an obvious candidate to have an immediate impact in New York.
The Patriots didn't add a linebacker until the sixth round (TCU's Namdi Obiazor) and failed to add a star linebacker in free agency. All-Pro safety addition Kevin Byard should help the cause, but the team still struggled to cover the position despite Hawkins' excellent 2025.
While we're still months away from kickoff, Sadiq seems a top candidate to make an immediate impact for the lowly New York Jets.
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