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The New York Jets made Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq the 16th pick of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday. He was the first tight end taken.

Good things come to those who wait. And in today’s college football landscape, there aren’t many first-round talents with the patience to do so. Sadiq is the exception. After backing up former Oregon star tight end Terrance Ferguson for two years in Eugene, the ultra-athletic Sadiq had a breakout year in 2025.

Sadiq led the Ducks in receptions (51) and touchdown catches (eight) in 2025 and started 14 out of 15 games. As has been the case in recent years under head coach Dan Lanning, Oregon’s offense wasn’t overly reliant on any one offensive weapon. The Ducks had plenty. But Sadiq flashed glimpses of next-level stardom with blazing speed (4.39-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine) and his adeptness in lining up all over the field.

Though his numbers weren’t gaudy in 2025, Sadiq was still named a second-team All-American and was voted first-team All-Big Ten. Sadiq already has all the makings of a game-changing tight end.

‘The Beast’ breakdown

Sadiq ranked No. 16 in Dane Brugler’s top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:

“Sadiq has mismatch-creating potential in the NFL, because of his ability to out-quick and out-tough defenders as both a pass catcher and blocker. He projects as a versatile, Vernon Davis-like weapon and has his best football ahead of him.”

Coaching intel

What an anonymous coach had to say about Sadiq in Bruce Feldman’s mock draft:

“Physically, he’s freaky, man — he’s everything you want. He’s agile. He’s twitchy. I think he fits more in the NFL than in college. They’ll split him out and flex him and let him do his thing. I’d have thought they would’ve forced the ball to him, but they didn’t. He routed up our safety, and it would’ve been a touchdown easily, but the ball didn’t come his way.” — A Big Ten defensive backs coach

Nick Baumgardner grades the pick

Grade: A

I love this pick. The Jets need a pass catcher, and Sadiq is the best one left on the board. So what if he’s a tight end? He can also line up as a gigantic X-receiver or maybe even a Z, and he’s an outstanding blocker at the line of scrimmage and out in space.

A freakish athlete, arguably the best in this class, and the type of weapon who can always keep the math in the offense’s favor, Sadiq is built for the modern game. I like this pick better than the David Bailey pick, if I’m being honest.

Ted Nguyen’s assessment

The Jets need weapons, and even though tight end Mason Taylor showed some promise last season, the league is trending to more two-tight-end sets. Pairing Sadiq and Taylor will give the Jets two matchup problems at the position and also give Geno Smith a seam stretcher.

How he fits

The Jets addressed their biggest need on defense with the No. 2 pick when they selected Bailey, the Texas Tech edge rusher. Then they turned to their biggest need by adding a pass catcher in Sadiq.

Maybe, technically, wide receiver as a position was a bigger need, but Sadiq is much more than just a traditional tight end. He’s a freak athlete (he ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at the combine with a 43.5-inch vertical jump and 11-foot, 1-inch broad jump) who has the ability to line up all over the place. He’s not traditionally huge for the tight end position (6 feet 3, 241 pounds), but he makes up for it with that ridiculous athleticism. He also had impressive downfield ability, which will add another layer to the Jets offense — he had 13 catches of 20-plus yards in 2025, the second most among all tight ends in the FBS.

As the Jets work to surround Smith — and any future quarterback — with the best possible supporting cast, it’s hard to argue with the decision to add the most dynamic pass catcher on the board.

Depth-chart impact

The Jets just drafted Taylor in the second round out of LSU last year, but this doesn’t really impact Taylor’s role in any major way. If anything, it might open things up for Taylor and the way the Jets use their weapons on offense interchangeably. Because of Sadiq’s athleticism and ability to line up as a wide receiver, they’ll be able to play Taylor and Sadiq together pretty consistently. The most fun version of the Jets offense might have Sadiq lining up as a big slot receiver with Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell flanking on the outside — and Breece Hall, a top-notch pass catcher, coming out of the backfield.

The Jets also have fifth-year tight end Jeremy Ruckert, who just signed an extension late last season and will play a key role as the primary blocking tight end of the group.

They also could have picked …

The two wide receivers the Jets were most tied to at this selection during the draft process were still on the board: USC’s Makai Lemon and Indiana’s Omar Cooper. The Jets ultimately believed there was a significant drop-off at wide receiver after Carnell Tate and Jordyn Tyson, so after both went in the top 10, the Jets couldn’t pass up adding Sadiq at this slot.

The Jets also own picks at No. 33 and No. 44 and could (and probably should) add a wide receiver with one of those picks since the team lacks depth behind Wilson and Mitchell.

Fast evaluation

There is something funny about the Jets drafting a tight end in 2026. Experts thought they might do this in 2024 with Brock Bowers and 2025 with Tyler Warren. Instead, both times, the Jets drafted offensive tackles (Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou). Now, when few had them projected to pick a tight end this early, they went ahead and did it anyway.