The New York Jets likely won’t force a quarterback pick early in the 2026 NFL Draft.
If they choose to wait, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar could enter the conversation. Geno Smith gives New York a short-term answer, but the long-term plan is still unsettled.
Drew Allar Still Looks Like a Traits-Based Draft Bet
In ESPN’s latest breakdown of team needs, ESPN’s Matt Miller floated Allar as a Day 2 fit for New York because of the physical traits that still make him an intriguing developmental option.
“If the Jets opt to wait until Day 2 to select a quarterback, the traits of Allar are intriguing,” Miller wrote. “The 6-foot-5, 228-pounder has the biggest arm in this draft class and plus mobility. An ankle injury derailed his final college season, but Allar’s potential is high if he’s developed.”
The appeal is obvious enough.
Allar still looks the part of an NFL quarterback. He has prototypical size, a live arm, and enough mobility to stay on teams’ radar even after a final college season that did not fully answer the bigger questions around his projection. Not long ago, he was considered a potential top quarterback in this class.
But production never fully matched the projection. Allar ranked No. 71 in PFSN’s CFB QB Impact Metric in limited action during the 2025 season after suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Penn State’s October loss to Northwestern. In six games, he completed 64.8% of his passes for 1,100 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions.
Now, he feels much more like a developmental swing than a player a team should expect to help right away. That distinction is what makes the Jets connection feel more logical than exciting.
The Jets’ Timeline Makes the Fit More Complicated
On paper, New York has the kind of quarterback setup that could make sense for a player like Allar.
The Jets already addressed the position in the short term by trading for Smith, who is expected to open the season as the starter. At age 35, Smith gives New York a veteran bridge and a more stable short-term option.
That should keep the Jets active in the quarterback conversation even if they do not force the issue in Round 1. The complication is that this is not exactly a low-pressure environment for a developmental quarterback stash.
New York is coming off a 3-14 season and entering Year 2 under Aaron Glenn, which makes every offensive decision feel more urgent. This is not the kind of situation where the Jets can afford to miss badly if they use a meaningful pick on a quarterback.
That does not mean Allar would be a bad investment. It just means the Jets would need to be clear-eyed about what they are drafting.
He would not be entering as a real challenger to Smith. He would be drafted as a long-term bet on tools and development, while Glenn works under real pressure to show progress.
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Allar only makes sense for New York if the Jets are serious about being patient at quarterback. He is not the kind of prospect you draft and drop into another unstable situation.
That is what makes this harder than it sounds. Allar still has enough talent to interest teams, but the Jets would have to prove they can offer the kind of developmental environment a quarterback like him actually needs.
