{"id":535052,"date":"2026-03-20T16:23:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T16:23:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/535052\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T16:23:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T16:23:08","slug":"is-mel-kiper-jr-serious-with-his-latest-ny-jets-mock-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/535052\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Mel Kiper Jr. serious with his latest NY Jets mock draft?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Decades into his career as an NFL draft pundit, Mel Kiper Jr. continues to provide football fans with plenty of entertainment, if nothing else.<\/p>\n<p>In February, Kiper made waves in New York Jets media circles when he released <a href=\"https:\/\/jetsxfactor.com\/2026\/02\/24\/jets-fans-mock-draft-mel-kiper-2-thrill-enrage\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">one of the most polarizing mock-draft predictions<\/a> for the Jets that anyone had seen to that point.<\/p>\n<p>Kiper had the Jets selecting Ohio State safety Caleb Downs with the second overall pick and Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods with the 16th overall pick.<\/p>\n<p>Post-free agency, Kiper has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/draft2026\/story\/_\/id\/48215816\/2026-nfl-mock-draft-kiper-32-picks-predictions-post-free-agency-round-1\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">released<\/a> his latest mock draft. He\u2019s switched up his predictions for the Jets at both of their first-round pick slots, but this mock draft is sure to divide Jets fans just as starkly as his last.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the first 16 picks of Kiper\u2019s latest mock draft.<\/p>\n<p>Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana<\/p>\n<p>New York Jets: David Bailey, OLB, Texas Tech<\/p>\n<p>Arizona Cardinals: Arvell Reese, OLD, Ohio State<\/p>\n<p>Tennessee Titans: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame<\/p>\n<p>New York Giants: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State<\/p>\n<p>Cleveland Browns: Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia<\/p>\n<p>Washington Commanders: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State<\/p>\n<p>New Orleans Saints: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State<\/p>\n<p>Kansas City Chiefs: Rueben Bain Jr., DE, Miami<\/p>\n<p>Cincinnati Bengals: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU<\/p>\n<p>Miami Dolphins: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State<\/p>\n<p>Dallas Cowboys: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee<\/p>\n<p>Los Angeles Rams: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami<\/p>\n<p>Baltimore Ravens: Spencer Fano, OL, Utah<\/p>\n<p>Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon<\/p>\n<p>New York Jets: Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama<\/p>\n<p>First off, Kiper has the Jets taking Texas Tech\u2019s David Bailey over Ohio State\u2019s Arvell Reese with the No. 2 choice. That sound you just heard was Jets X-Factor\u2019s Robby Sabo <a href=\"https:\/\/jetsxfactor.com\/2026\/03\/07\/new-york-jets-draft-film-david-bailey-deficiencies\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pulling his hair out<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The difference between David Bailey and Arvell Reese is found in the details and the all-around game. There&#8217;s only one EDGE choice for the New York <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Jets?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">#Jets<\/a> at No. 2. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7DeGcrfaj7\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/7DeGcrfaj7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Robby Sabo (@RobbySabo) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RobbySabo\/status\/2031801244595912911?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">March 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p>With the 16th pick, Kiper has the Jets making the bold decision to take Alabama quarterback <a href=\"https:\/\/jetsxfactor.com\/2026\/01\/22\/ty-simpson-draft-film-hot-start-elite-traits-ny-jets\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Ty Simpson<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Jets don\u2019t\u00a0have\u00a0to draft a quarterback here,\u201d wrote Kiper. \u201cThey\u00a0traded\u00a0for\u00a0Geno Smith\u00a0as a bridge option and have three first-round picks in 2027, when the QB class should be a lot better. But this is a good range for Simpson, who has only 15 career starts but throws with accuracy, processes quickly and moves well in the pocket.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSimply put, New York has to take some swings to figure out the long-term solution under center. I could see the Jets drafting Simpson and letting him learn and develop a little behind Smith before he moves into the starter role.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The selection is quite a reach based on Simpson\u2019s No. 35 overall ranking on NFL Mock Draft Database\u2019s consensus big board. It would mean that instead of taking a quality non-quarterback prospect who would likely start in Week 1, the Jets would take a quarterback who many view as beneath first-round-caliber.<\/p>\n<p>But if the Jets fall in love with Simpson, their need at quarterback is desperate enough to justify the pick. They don\u2019t have a quarterback on their roster with legitimate long-term upside.<\/p>\n<p>It doesn\u2019t matter what Simpson\u2019s \u201cconsensus\u201d grade is. If the Jets have a first-round grade on him, they would be wise to strike on Simpson quickly instead of waiting to see if they can get him in the second round.<\/p>\n<p>Would Jets fans be on board with using a mid-first-round pick to take a swing on Simpson?<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Decades into his career as an NFL draft pundit, Mel Kiper Jr. continues to provide football fans with&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":535053,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[239680,1607,3678,399,214448,398,396,397,5702,349,17351,240148,214449,99,615,79383],"class_list":["post-535052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ncaa-football","tag-arvell-reese","tag-college-football","tag-david-bailey","tag-football","tag-free-content","tag-ncaa","tag-ncaa-football","tag-ncaafootball","tag-new-york-jets","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-draft","tag-ny-jets-mock-draft","tag-ny-jets-news","tag-sports","tag-standard","tag-ty-simpson"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=535052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535052\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/535053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=535052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=535052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=535052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}