Jets 'Underrated' Draft Pick Predicted To Have 'Impact' Rookie Year In 2025

Do the Jets have their number-two receiver?

May 9, 2025; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets rookie wide receiver Arian Smith (82) participates in a drill during the minicamp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Salus-Imagn Images | Thomas Salus-Imagn Images

The New York Jets are gambling on a few players to take big steps forward in 2025.

The most obvious of these is quarterback Justin Fields, who comes to the Jets with four years of experience and no lasting success. But Fields also needs some of the offensive supporting cast to step up around him.

Beyond star wideout Garrett Wilson, the Jets don't have an obvious second option in the passing game. They've got two rookie pass-catchers who might be able to fill the need, but counting on any first-year player is always a gamble on some level.

One football writer thinks the rookie selected after his teammate might in fact have the greater impact.

On Friday, Damian Parson of Bleacher Report named fourth-round pickArian Smith as one of a select few "underrated" rookies that had the best chance to have "impact" debut seasons in 2025.

"(The Jets) are entering a new era with a new quarterback and coaching staff. Smith brings elite top-end speed to gash defenses down the field. He has been improving his route running and space creation, and his speed has impressed head coach Aaron Glenn," Parson wrote.

"The 23-year-old has been spending extra time working on the jugs machine this offseason to cure his case of the drops that plagued him last season at Georgia. If he can cut down on the dropped passes, his path to being an impact rookie will be more straightforward."

Last season at the University of Georgia, Smith led his team with 817 receiving yards. It was a breakout year of sorts, as the fifth-year senior didn't top the 200-yard mark in any of his first four seasons.

If that breakout translates to the NFL, the Jets might have lucked into exactly what they needed with a mid-round pick.

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