Jason Burgos
A player that has been linked to the New York Jets in early NFL mock drafts has been compared to rising superstar Jaxon Smith-Njigba by a prominent draft expert.
The NY Jets hoped that hiring Darren Mougey to be their new general manager and replacing Robert Saleh with former franchise star Aaron Glenn could be the beginning of a major turnaround for the team. Instead, after going 5-12 in the final season for the previous regime, the new leaders of the roster oversaw a 3-14 team in 2025.
It has put a lot of pressure on Mougey and Glenn to show far better results next season, or else. One way they can do that and show long-term upside is through the NFL Draft, and this April, they have four picks in the first two rounds.
The NY Jets roster needs help in a lot of places, and after trading Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner before the trade deadline, the expectation is that they will use their first two picks next month on defensive prospects. However, some mock drafts have the team using their pick at 16 on USC receiver Makai Lemon.
Makai Lemon has Jaxon Smith-Njigba-level talent?
If they do, FOX college football analyst Joe Klatt claims they could be getting the next Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
“I love Makai Lemon. This dude is just an excellent football player,” Klatt began by saying. “He gets space, he understands coverage, he’s got an exceptional feel for the game. I think he is a Julian Edelman, Wes Welker, Jaxon Smith-Njigba type of player. He can operate in the middle, he can operate outside.”
Edelman and Welker are familiar to NY Jets fans after their exploits with the New England Patriots in the previous decades. However, the comparison to JSN will excite younger fans. The Seattle Seahawks star was a massive reason why they won a Super Bowl last month and has emerged as one of the game’s elite pass catchers after going to the Pro Bowl the last two seasons.
