4 former NY Jets draft picks who won’t be on the team in 2024

General manager Joe Douglas has overseen the NY Jets, who have a patchy draft record. There have been several significant draft missteps that have whittled down the team’s roster, for every Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson.

Numerous young, talented players, many of whom were acquired through the draft, make up the Jets’ roster. This Jets team, if anything, is based on the foundation of previous draft selections such as Wilson, Gardner, Jermaine Johnson, Quinnen Williams, and Breece Hall.

But not every draft choice has been successful. Though there may be some adjustments, the Jets are anticipated to run it back in 2024 with a comparable roster and administration. It is reasonable to anticipate roster change.

Let’s take a look at four former Jets draft picks who likely won’t be on the roster next season.

4. Max Mitchell, OT, NY Jets

It was anticipated that Max Mitchell, who the Jets selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, would serve primarily as a developing project during his rookie campaign. That was altered when injuries forced Mitchell into the starting lineup at an early age.

Despite dealing with personal injuries, Mitchell performed admirably in the position and was back as a vital backup the next year. Sadly, Mitchell’s 2023 campaign hasn’t exactly gone as planned.

The Louisiana native has performed appallingly in his seven starts this season, ranking 74th out of 84 qualified offensive tackles with a dismal 49.3 Pro Football Focus grade. In just eight games, he has given up six sacks and a staggering thirty pressures.

Mitchell will undoubtedly return to compete for a depth roster place next season since he is still under contract, but don’t be shocked if Carter Warren, Billy Turner, or any other tackle the Jets bring in this offseason surpasses him.

3. Bryce Hall, CB, NY Jets

Not very long ago, it appeared as though the Jets had discovered a late-round steal and potential building piece in Bryce Hall. The former Virginia cornerback had an outstanding 2021 season as the team’s de facto CB1, starting 24 of the first 25 games of his career.

But now, that seems like a very long time ago.

Due to injury concerns, Hall was taken by the Jets in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. After his injury recovery, Hall was nearly immediately put back into the starting lineup.

In 2021, Hall would start every one of the Jets’ 17 games and lead the NFL in pass deflections. Though by no means a real CB1, the young cornerback showed himself to be a guy who could start at his position.

Unfortunately, Hall was relegated to a backup role when the Jets signed D.J. Reed and selected Sauce Gardner in the following offseason. Since then, he hasn’t seen a lot of playing time.

Due to injury, Hall has started two games this season, and when given the chance, he has done fairly well. Nevertheless, he will be a free agency at the end of the season, and it’s possible that he’ll find a bigger opportunity somewhere else.

A team that decides to give Hall an opportunity to start in free agency after reviewing his record of work may choose to sign Hall. His lack of versatility on special teams makes him less valuable to the Jets, who aren’t going to be that team.

Hall is a good NFL-caliber cornerback who may possibly start for a few teams, but the Jets will probably not be seeing him for much longer.

2. Mekhi Becton, OT, NY Jets

When the Jets selected Louisville offensive lineman Mekhi Becton with the 11th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, they thought they had discovered their long-term left tackle.

Early on, the outcomes were encouraging. Becton experienced typical growing pains as a rookie, but in his debut NFL season, the enormous young tackle appeared to be a future franchise cornerstone.

Becton was even rated as the sixth-best offensive lineman in the league by a poll of 50 NFL personnel before to the 2021 season—a claim that has been made (by me) countless times. The former first-round pick had reasonable expectations to be an All-Pro.

Regretfully, Becton’s career has declined precipitously since then. He was injured to his knees again and missed almost the whole 2021–2022 season. It was also during this period that there were a lot of rumors regarding his weight problems and attitude problems.

Still, Becton fought hard to return to the field, getting himself in the best shape of his career this past offseason. It seems to have paid off, as Becton has played all but one game this season. The issue hasn’t been availability, however.

To put it mildly, Becton’s performance in 2023 has been patchy. With 11, the most sacks allowed of any NFL offensive tackle goes to him. With an astounding 13 penalties in 14 games, he is ranked second among tackles.

Given his age and selection history, Becton is likely to command a high free agency salary from a team. The Jets are not and probably never will be that team. It would probably be in everyone’s best interests to split up this offseason.

1. Zach Wilson, QB, NY Jets

Zach Wilson has reportedly already been told by the Jets that he will be traded during the offseason. It’s not hard to conclude so, whether or not the news is accurate.

In New York, the Zach Wilson period has been an unmitigated catastrophe. The expectation was that the former No. 2 overall pick would put an end to the team’s decades-long search for a long-term quarterback answer. He was heralded as a franchise savior.

Wilson, on the other hand, has outperformed them all. Not as good as Sam Darnold. Not as good as Geno Smith. Not as good as Mark Sanchez. In fact, he’s been among the worst quarterbacks in contemporary NFL history, according to statistics.

After Aaron Rodgers’ injury forced him back into the starting lineup, Wilson has shown some progress this season, but his general lack of consistency hasn’t changed.

It’s true that his supporting cast hasn’t been the best this season. He’s played at a backup level at times this year, but he’s still better than Trevor Siemian and Tim Boyle. That does not imply, however, that it is not time to move on.

Wilson’s benching for players like Chris Streveler and Boyle in successive seasons has obviously caused his relationship with the Jets to deteriorate. It’s challenging to recover from it.

Similar to Becton, it’s most likely best for both parties to move on during the offseason. Wilson’s potential will entice some teams to give him a shot and give him a year or two to develop.

While everything is going on, the Jets should concentrate on cutting costs and recovering as much value as they can from the trade. In 2024, bring back Aaron Rodgers, add a more capable and seasoned quarterback two, and allow Wilson to find a new home.