Examining potential Jets late-round targets in 2026 NFL Draft

The Jetshave a rare opportunity to improve their team in the upcoming NFL Draft, as they pick twice in the first round and then twice more in the first half of the second round. While most of the attention has been on those early selections, there is plenty of potential to add value later on, and the team has been showing plenty of interest in players who could be candidates to achieve this.

Let's look at some of the more interesting players that had a top-30 visit with the team and could be options on day two or three.

WR Chris Bell - Louisville

The Jets need to add more pass-catching options and Bell is regarded as a potential top-20 talent who could be available in the third or fourth round because he's coming off a late-season ACL tear.

It would be a risky pick, but the Jets could strike gold if the 6-foot-2 Bell gets healthy and can build on the momentum he had been creating last season. Before getting hurt, he had racked up 72 catches for 917 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games.

CB Chris Johnson - San Diego State

Brandon Stephens and Azareye'h Thomas are currently penciled in as the two starters at cornerback for the Jets, although they did also add Pro Bowler Nahshon Wright in free agency. However, Aaron Glenn is sure to be intrigued by any cornerback prospects with good potential, especially if they bring versatility and 4.4 speed to the table.

Johnson is a player that Dane Brugler of The Athletic has said you could make a case for as the second-best cornerback prospect in the draft. Therefore, if the Jets were interested in selecting him, it would need to be with one of the two second-round picks, if he even lasts that long.

RB Kaelon Black - Indiana

New York won't get the chance to draft Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, but they've been showing interest in some of Mendoza's teammates, including Black. In 2025, Black rushed for over 1,000 yards with 10 touchdowns.

Breece Hall was franchised and the Jets have two youngsters competing for roles behind him in Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis. Adding a player like Black into the mix as a mid-round option could be a good move for New York.

LB Jaden Dugger - Louisiana

The Jets brought back Demario Davis and allowed Quincy Williams to walk in free agency, but could be in the market for a late-round linebacker to try and work into the rotation. Dugger is apparently a player on the rise that they've been showing some interest in.

Dugger, who has outstanding length at 6-foot-5, played a variety of roles in college before settling in as a sideline-to-sideline linebacker in 2025. He had 125 total tackles as he led the Sun Belt in solo stops. Having been a wide receiver in high school, Dugger became a safety at Georgetown and then converted to linebacker.

S Cole Wisniewski - Texas Tech

While edge rusher David Bailey's scheduled top-30 visit never happened, his college teammate Wisniewski's visit with the Jets went ahead and he is now regarded as a possible late-round pick, having previously not been invited to the scouting combine.

Wisniewski used to be a linebacker but moved to safety ahead of the 2023 season while still at North Dakota State and broke out with eight interceptions. He missed all of the 2024 season with a foot injury before transferring to Texas Tech and racking up 78 tackles last season.

EDGE Malachi Lawrence - UCF

Lawrence is one of a number of defensive linemen the Jets may be targeting with one of those second-round picks, as it's not out of the question the Jets could double-dip on the edge even if they select a pass rusher with the second overall pick. If Lawrence is available, he would be a consideration as some experts believe he has first-round talent.

At the scouting combine, Lawrence demonstrated his explosiveness with a 40-inch vertical jump, but scouts would like to see more statistical production from him as the highest number of sacks he recorded in any of his four college seasons was just 7.5.