Jets Skip Fernando Mendoza In Wild Mock Draft

It's no secret that the New York Jets need a quarterback.

This remains the biggest question for the Jets -- and has been for a long time. The Jets have tried different solutions, including Aaron Rodgers and Justin Fields over the last three seasons, but things didn't work out. Zach Wilson was a miss by the previous front office with the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Sam Darnold didn't work out in New York, but has thrived elsewhere.

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The Jets need to find their answer and now have the No. 2 pick again and will have a chance to select one of the top quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft class. Fernando Mendoza is widely considered to be the No. 1 option right now and Dante Moore is considered the No. 2 quarterback in the class, although he hasn't declared for the draft yet.

The Jets need a quarterback

Indiana Hoosiers defensive back D'Angelo Ponds (5) and Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) pose for photographs Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, after defeating the Oregon Ducks in the Peach Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the majority of teams around the league on the outside looking in on the playoffs, there's already been plenty of offseason chatter, including seemingly endless mock drafts out there. Most can be ignored at this time of the year. There are a few months to go until the draft and all of the picks aren't even finalized with the playoffs in full swing. After the Super Bowl is when they will get more interesting -- especially when it comes from a league insider. Like last year, Armand Membou popped up on the vast majority of mock drafts for New York and the noise was right about that pick.

While this is the case, some of the mock drafts get a bit surprising. For example, The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner shared a mock draft that had Moore going No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, Arvell Reese to the Jets, and then Mendoza to the Arizona Cardinals.

"No. 2. New York Jets: Arvell Reese, edge, Ohio State," Baumgardner wrote. "The most talented defender and arguably the most talented football player in the class, period, Reese has the potential to be a total game wrecker on the edge. He also has enough versatility to move around the front seven. He’s a prospect with an elite-level ceiling."

It's early enough that anything could happen. What if Moore declared and the Raiders were in love with him? Reese looks like a star -- who I've pitched myself for the No. 2 pick. But that was with the idea that Mendoza goes No. 1 and the Jets don't want Moore at No. 2.

If Mendoza is available at No. 2, it would be a shock if he made it to No. 3. The Jets scouted Mendoza throughout the season and he looks like a legit star. Some have called the 2026 draft class a one-quarterback draft and that's about Mendoza. If the Raiders were to see more upside in Moore, that's fair and up to their decision makers. But it's safe to say that if Mendoza isn't going No. 1 overall, the chances of him reaching the No. 3 pick would be near zero.

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