It’s late January, which means the draft season has finally, truly begun. The forefront of speculation in the football world will shift to which young, standout players all 32 teams will select in order to meet their needs. This time of the year has sparked many draft analysts to begin doing mock draft exercises. Mock drafts are always a pleasure to read and analyze, especially from people who are plugged into the league. They can provide an idea of how certain scenarios could play out. One of the most plugged-in draft gurus in football is NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah. He very often has a great beat on which positions teams will go with, sometimes even nailing the player. His most famous prediction was nailing the Texans/Cardinals trade in the 2023 NFL Draft. He correctly predicted the Texans would trade up and get both C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. He also predicted the Cardinals would take Paris Johnson Jr. following that trade. Fast-forward to 2026, and Jeremiah has completed his first mock of the cycle. In this mock draft, the Jets grab an instant-impact duo from a revered Ohio State team: linebacker Arvell Reese and wide receiver Carnell Tate.
Athletic Freak Arvell Reese Could Transform Jets Defense
Ohio State’s Arvell Reese is one of the most intriguing prospects of the NFL Draft. The reason for this is because his deployment in college may not be the same in the NFL. In his description for the pick, Jeremiah wrote, “I think he’ll benefit from working off the edge full-time after also seeing time at off-ball linebacker during his Buckeyes career.” This versatility is very real, as he lined up all over the front 7 for the Buckeyes. He saw snaps all over the box as well as at outside linebacker. Reese was highly efficient as a pass rusher, producing 27 pressures and 8 sacks in just 121 pass-rushing snaps. He profiles very well as a 3-4 OLB that can also stand up when needed, perhaps as an athletic gap shooter against the run. This type of versatility and playmaking is much-needed on a Jets defense that struggled mightily in 2025. He could boost a pass rush that produced the 2nd least sacks in the NFL. He would also help a run defense that surrendered the 4th most rushing yards per game (139.5).
No player is perfect, though. Many initial scouting reports worry about Reese’s immediate impact as a pass rusher. After all, he only has one season of experience there. He is very strong and athletic, but he lacks pass-rush technique. This is reflected in NFL Draft Buzz’s scouting report. They acknowledge his athleticism and how it helps him as a rusher, but they also say his “pass rush plan needs more layers” and his “pass rush instincts are not natural”. This doesn’t make a him a bad player; it just means he would have to develop in that area. Reese would be a great tool for whoever ends up being the Jets defensive coordinator in 2026.
Carnell Tate Could Give the Jets Offense a True Vertical Threat
The next pick in the mock draft for the Jets was OSU WR Carnell Tate. Tate is the next up from a school frequently regarded as “WRU”. This is a program the Jets are very familiar with, as they currently roster an Ohio State alumni at receiver in Garrett Wilson. Ohio State was very explosive in the passing game this past season under Heisman finalist Julian Sayin. Tate was a big part of that, as he had 11 catches of 20+ yards (T-6th out of Power 4 schools), resulting in a stellar deep receiving grade of 99.9 from PFF. The Jets, as a team, only had 9 total receptions of 20+ yards. This is mostly due to bad QB play, but the WR talent on the Jets is nothing to write home about either. Tate was also a nice run blocker, ending the 2025 season with a solid 70.2 run blocking grade from PFF.
Tate’s main weaknesses are physical. Official measurements are unavailable right now, but Ohio State has him listed at 6’3″, 195 lbs. Typically, colleges will uptick players’ listed measurements, so Tate may clock in at a little bit under those later in the draft process. For a player of his height, he isn’t as filled out as he could be. There are also speculations about his vertical speed. This is not as worrying, though, as Tate wins vertically with route running, not speed. He’s similar to his fellow OSU alumni Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Emeka Egbuka in that way.
Overall Thoughts
This 2026 first-round mock draft would be great for the Jets. Arvell Reese would provide a spark on defense, and Carnell Tate would be a great #2 option next to Garrett Wilson. These two are playmakers and bring a championship pedigree to a team that needs to learn how to win consistently. Addressing two major needs early would allow the Jets to be very flexible down the board. They can move around the following days of the draft to acquire more 2027 capital, which is quite valuable right now. More importantly, they can just work on bringing good football players to this subpar roster. That’s an approach that the Lions used under Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes that the Jets should look to replicate with Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey.
Main Photo: [Jerome Miron] – Imagn Images