5 greatest Jets NFL Draft picks of all time

The Jets have arguably been more notorious for making bad draft picks than good ones throughout their history. However, they've made some stellar selections over the years.

Many of the best players in franchise history, such as Curtis Martin, Don Maynard, and Kevin Mawae were not drafted by the team, though. So who are their best draft picks ever?

Whoever makes our list, there's sure to be other options some fans will feel should have been on it, but it will always make for an interesting discussion.

Let's count down our carefully curated selections...

5. Randy Rasmussen (selected in the 12th round in 1967)

What more could you ask for from a late round pick? Rasmussen provided the Jets with a decade and a half of consistent guard play and remains the team's leader in total games played.

Once dubbed "Mr. Jet," Rasmussen won a Super Bowl with the Jets in his second season and was still a starter during the "Sack Exchange" era in the early 80s.

The Jets essentially repeated the trick in 1975, when they drafted another interior lineman, Joe Fields, in the 14th round. He went on to play 13 seasons with Gang Green, reaching two Pro Bowls, but Rasmussen gets the nod due to his superior longevity.

4. Nick Mangold (selected 29th overall in 2006)

Yet another interior offensive lineman locks down our fourth spot. The Jets had already drafted D'Brickashaw Ferguson with the fourth pick when they got the opportunity to select Mangold near the end of the first round. The Jets had picked up an extra selection by trading John Abraham, and Mangold filled a massive need at center as the two rookies started every game in 2006. The team went on to make the postseason in Eric Mangini's first season as head coach.

Both Ferguson and Mangold went on to have glittering careers, but Mangold was the more decorated of the two. His seven Pro Bowl appearances as a Jet are more than anyone else in team history, apart from Winston Hill, whom the Jets did not draft.

3. Darrelle Revis (selected 14th overall in 2007)

This was a selection that defined making sure you get your guy. The Jets took a big risk in 2007 when they surrendered valuable draft capital to move up from 25th overall to ensure they could select Revis in the middle of the first round. The gamble paid off, though, as Revis made his first Pro Bowl in his second season and then took his game to another level under Rex Ryan. He was an All-Pro for each of the next three seasons and arguably should have won a Defensive Player of the Year award.

Oct 30, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) during the second half against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Jets won 31-28. / Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

There were holdouts, injuries, and controversies. There was also an acrimonious exit and a somewhat underwhelming reunion that sullied his Jets tenure to a degree, but Revis was widely considered the best cornerback in the league over a period of several seasons and will go down in history as a Jets great.

2. Joe Klecko (selected in the sixth round in 1977)

Klecko is another of the best defensive players in Jets history, famed for having reached the Pro Bowl at three different positions. He went to four Pro Bowls and was a two-time All-Pro who once had 20 sacks in a season. Finally, in 2023, he was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after years of campaigning.

What makes this pick even better is the incredible value. To find a starter in the sixth round is unexpected, but nabbing a future Hall-of-Famer is on another level entirely.

1. Joe Namath (selected 2nd overall in the 1967 AFL draft)

There's really nobody else who could top this list, as Namath remains the most iconic figure in Jets history, having guaranteed the Jets would upset the heavily-favored Colts in Super Bowl III and then delivering on that guarantee with an MVP performance.

In addition to going second overall to the Jets in the AFL draft, Namath was also selected 12th overall in the NFL draft, by the St. Louis Cardinals, who failed to sign him.

Adding further intrigue to the mix, the Jets had also drafted another quarterback when they picked John Huarte 10 selections later. In some circles, Huarte - the reigning Heisman Trophy winner - was more hyped than Namath initially. However, Namath quickly established himself as "the guy," and the rest is history.