The New York Jets’ rebuild was always going to be a multi-year exercise, but the team’s struggles through the first half of 2025 have just accentuated the importance of the 2026 NFL Draft. What direction should the Jets go? Our users weigh in using the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator.
Jets Users Favor Selecting a QB in 2026 NFL Draft, Tabbing Fernando Mendoza as Top Choice
The team signed Justin Fields to a lucrative two-year contract and rolled him out as the unquestioned starter. However, Jets fans still showed an overwhelming preference for QB selections from the very start of the 2026 NFL Draft cycle.
When the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator first rolled over to the 2026 NFL Draft in May, Jets fans were selecting a QB in Round 1 on over 60% of their simulations. That number dropped below 30% only in early September, when the Jets were shuffled out of quarterback range, and when quarterback options were initially unclear.
As the Jets went longer and longer without their first win, however, things quickly corrected, and users’ QB percentage shot back up to over 50%, and then once again over 60% in mid-October.
Taking a snapshot in the present time, it’s a three-man competition to be the Jets’ pick. Fernando Mendoza has the edge at 37.5%. Dante Moore is the second choice at 11.7%, and Ty Simpson is the third choice at 10.6%.
Those percentages are sure to change soon, however, as the Jets no longer lay claim to the No. 1 overall pick projection after their comeback win against the Cincinnati Bengals. Situated at the No. 2 overall pick now, Moore and Simpson should see a major jump in simulations, as Mendoza remains the QB1 favorite across the board for fan bases.
As heavy as the favoritism for QB is among Jets fans, and understandably so, Fields has not inspired long-term confidence. Despite his return to the starting lineup, the QB position has not entirely sealed out other positions from the conversation.
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Early in the season, the defensive tackle actually outpaced the QB for a short stretch, with Clemson’s Peter Woods taking a large share of Jets fans’ selections. But the Jets’ elevation to the No. 1 overall pick, combined with Woods’ slight regression, ended that wave quickly.
EDGE maxed out as the second-most common selection in mid-October, and Rueben Bain Jr. still takes home 2.6% of all Jets fans’ selections in Round 1. Wide receiver is also on the board, as Jordyn Tyson (3.5%) and Carnell Tate (2.5%) both have top ten pick percentages among Jets fans.
The two wild cards in the top ten among Jets fans? Louisville WR Chris Bell and Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. Downs is selected by 2.4% of Jets users, while Bell is the fourth-most common selection at 5.2%. Given his ranking and ADP, it’s likely that Bell is a trade-down target.
Since the Jets don’t have a Round 3 pick, there’s merit in making a move down — but only if they can’t get a game-changer at QB. The longer the Jets stay within the top three picks, the more likely it is that Mendoza, Moore, and Simpson monopolize the board.