Jets Doing Homework on Sleeper QB Drew Allar

Over the course of the next month, the New York Jets are going to see plenty of prospects in action.

That can be said about all 32 teams across the National Football League. It's going to be a sprint until the 2026 NFL Draft begins on April 23. Each team around the league is going to do its due diligence as they prepare for the next class of prospects to make the jump to the NFL. For the Jets, there are surely still roster holes to fill after going 3-14 in 2025, despite a good start to the offseason in free agency and the trade market. New York has four picks across the first two rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft, starting at No. 2.

The first pick should be on a defensive player, whether that is Arvell Reese or David Bailey. If the Jets could land a receiver at No. 16, like Jordyn Tyson, that would be an absolute win. From there, it will be interesting to see what New York does. Will the Jets draft a quarterback to pair with Geno Smith for the 2026 season? Arguably, New York shouldn't do so in the first round unless it loves one of the prospects. After the first round, it's a different story and one interesting guy to watch now is Penn State's Drew Allar. SNY's Connor Hughes reported on Sunday that the Jets held a private workout with the young signal-caller.

Will the Jets draft a quarterback?

Feb 28, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Penn State quarterback Drew Allar (QB02) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"The Jets had a number of Penn State players at the facility for private workouts this weekend, with the pro day circuit set to begin, per sources," Hughes wrote. "QB Drew Allar was among them. Team decision makers watched him throw on Friday. Benefit of having him with a number of other: They could see him throw to his guys."

Allar is one of the most intriguing quarterback prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft class. He only played in six games for Penn State in 2025 and had 1,100 passing yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions. He missed time due to an ankle injury. In 2024, he racked up 3,327 passing yards, 24 touchdown passes and eight interceptions. Overall, he played in 45 games across his college career. In comparison, Ty Simpson of Alabama only played in 31 games and played in double-digit games in a season just once in his college career (15 games in 2025).

Allar is currently ranked as the No. 6 quarterback prospect in the 2026 draft class, per ESPN. Overall, he's the No. 166 prospect in the draft class, per ESPN. Arguably, this is on the lower side. If he didn't get hurt in 2025, he'd likely be much higher. Because of that, he currently looks like an intriguing mid-round target with upside to be even better than that.

If the Jets are going to draft a guy in 2026, Allar is the type of player they should be targeting. Draft him late and see if he can do anything for the franchise throughout the summer and throughout the season in a depth role. If he impresses, great. If not, then the Jets could fully embrace the position early in the 2027 NFL Draft.