Many New York Jets fans have been rooting for losses for well over a month by now.

For those fans, Week 18 was the most fun they’ve had since the Jets led in the fourth quarter against Pittsburgh in Week 1.

Jets’ final 2026 NFL draft positioning

Here are the Jets’ projected pick slots in the 2026 NFL draft (bolded text indicates that the pick is assured to be locked into that exact slot; un-bolded indicates that the slot is subject to change):

Round 1, Pick 2 (NYJ)

Round 1, Pick 16 (via IND)

Round 2, Pick 33 (NYJ)

Round 2, Pick 44 (via DAL)

Round 4, Pick 103 (NYJ)

Round 5 compensatory (Projected)

Round 5 compensatory (Projected)

One Round 6 pick (from one of BAL, BUF, DEN; currently unknown)

Round 7, Pick 218 (via TEN)

Round 7, Pick 240 (via BUF)

There will be compensatory picks (placed from Rounds 3-7) awarded prior to the draft. The Jets are projected to land two fifth-round picks, according to Tankathon.

If the Jets do land those two compensatory picks, it would bring them to a total of 10 selections in the 2026 NFL draft.

The tank shredded through its path in Week 18

The Jets began Sunday in the No. 3 slot, with the potential to land anywhere from No. 2 to No. 7 in the order depending on Week 18’s results.

Aaron Glenn’s listless team did their part with a 35-8 loss to the Buffalo Bills, which was never in doubt.

However, thanks to the New York Giants’ win over the Dallas Cowboys, the Jets leapfrogged the Giants into the No. 2 pick, which was the Jets’ best-case scenario.

That isn’t the only good news from the Giants’ win. It also meant that the Cowboys lost, pushing the Jets’ second-round pick (via Dallas) up to the No. 44 slot. With the Jets’ own second-rounder settling in at No. 33 (the first of the second round), the team is armed with four top-45 picks.

Even the Jets’ second first-round pick, arriving to them via Indianapolis, rose up the board.

The Indianapolis Colts lost to the Houston Texans despite Houston resting their starters in the second half. This result, coupled with wins by the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings, pushed the Colts’ first-round pick up from No. 18 to No. 16. It nearly rose another spot to No. 15, which would have occurred if Baltimore Ravens kicker Tyler Loop made a 44-yard-field goal to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Jets fans will happily accept the two-spot jump.

When the Jets acquired Indianapolis’ 2026 first-rounder in the Sauce Gardner trade, it was projected to land in the No. 32 slot. That’s not to say that the upstart Colts were Super Bowl favorites, but the Colts were 7-2 and had the best point differential in the NFL. With a two-time All-Pro cornerback joining the mix, it was safe to assume that the pick would land in the late twenties at best.

Instead, the Colts finished the season on a 1-7 slide after the trade, pushing the pick 16 slots up from where it was when the Jets acquired it.

The Jets have everything they need to rebuild a roster that deteriorated into an utter embarrassment throughout the 2025 season. The only question now is whether they have the right people in place to make those assets count.