The New York Jets enter the 2025 NFL Draft as a team in transition. With a new regime led by head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey, the organization turned the page at quarterback this offseason, signaling a fresh start on multiple fronts.
The Jets are not a franchise expecting to compete for the Super Bowl this upcoming season, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be trying to win football games. To do so, however, the Jets will need to address a few areas of need on the roster.
The team’s free-agency moves filled a few of those holes, but there’s still work to be done. The Jets will use this year’s draft to plug those holes and ideally add multiple long-term starters to their roster.
An influx of new talent could be bad news for a select few holdovers on the team, however. Let’s take a look at five Jets players whose jobs could be in danger entering the 2025 draft.
NY Jets players who could lose their job after the 2025 NFL Draft
5. Breece Hall
There’s a clear discrepancy between how fans perceive Breece Hall and how he’s currently viewed by the NFL, and perhaps more importantly, by the Jets. The former Iowa State star is coming off a highly disappointing season marked by a sharp drop in efficiency and production, along with recurring ball security issues.
Combine that with the fact that he’s entering the final year of his rookie contract, and it’s fair to suggest there are genuine doubts about his future in New York. The Jets have already had internal conversations about the possibility of a trade, and teams are eyeing his market.
This isn’t to say that the Jets are definitely out on Hall by any means (they’re not!), but the idea of moving on from Hall during or after the draft isn’t as far-fetched as many fans would like to believe.
The Jets could surprise the NFL world and take a chance on Boise State star Ashton Jeanty if he’s available at pick No. 7. Perhaps the team also decides to dip their toes in one of the deepest and most talented running back classes in recent memory.
Either way, Hall’s job isn’t as secure as it might seem from the outside heading into the draft. He’s written in pencil as RB1 for now, but that role is far from carved in stone.
4. Chukwuma Okorafor
Chukwuma Okorafor is currently listed as the Jets’ starting right tackle, but there’s a good chance that changes by the end of the month. The Jets signed Okorafor to a cheap one-year, $1.337 million contract to provide additional tackle depth.
It wouldn’t be wise for the team to view him as a legitimate starting option, however. Okorafor played just 12 snaps for the New England Patriots last season before being benched in the first half of his first game with the team.
Okorafor would soon quit the team and not play another snap for the remainder of the year. He’s now been benched in consecutive seasons and doesn’t project as a starting-caliber player at this stage.
The Jets could select Okorafor’s replacement in the first round, with players like Missouri’s Armand Membou and LSU’s Will Campbell likely on their radar, or look to add competition on Day 2 or 3. Regardless, he’s far from locked into a starting role.
3. Derrick Nnadi
The Jets signed a trio of veteran defensive tackles in free agency this offseason in Derrick Nnadi, Byron Cowart, and Jay Tufele. Of the three, Nnadi brings the most high-level starting experience and is currently slated to be the team’s starting 1-tech defensive tackle.
Nnadi has appeared in 115 games for the Kansas City Chiefs over the last seven seasons, starting 87 games before being relegated to a part-time role in 2024. That experience could be valuable in a new-look Jets defensive line, but it doesn’t guarantee him a starting job.
The Jets will likely look to bolster their defensive tackle room in a deep interior defensive line class, possibly as early as Round 1. Nnadi might have the edge right now, but the soon-to-be 29-year-old is hardly a long-term solution.
Don’t be surprised if the Jets find a younger replacement for Nnadi as the team’s starting nose tackle/1 tech alongside Quinnen Williams.
2. Jeremy Ruckert
Jeremy Ruckert is the de facto starting tight end for the Jets as they enter the 2025 NFL Draft. That statement alone highlights just how dire the need at the position is for the organization.
Ruckert has been underwhelming for the Jets since entering the league as a third-round pick in 2022. The Long Island native has hauled in just 35 catches for 264 yards and zero touchdowns, while his run-blocking has also been below-average.
The Jets also signed converted college quarterback/wide receiver Stone Smartt from the Los Angeles Chargers, but with just 31 career catches of his own, he likely isn’t viewed as a starting option either.
The Jets have been heavily linked to Penn State star Tyler Warren in the first round, but even if the team goes in a different direction, they should be able to add to their depth chart in a deep tight end class. Ruckert is likely little more than a placeholder.
1. Allen Lazard
Allen Lazard is currently penciled in as the Jets’ No. 2 wide receiver entering the draft, and after agreeing to take a substantial pay cut last week, some might assume that his job and roster spot are safe. That might not be the case, however.
Lazard’s pay cut makes his contract a lot more movable, suggesting that the Jets could still look to trade him at some point in the future. If the team is able to land a suitable replacement in the draft, that decision becomes a lot easier.
The Jets could consider targeting a player like Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan in the first round, but the middle rounds of this year’s draft are loaded with wide receiver talent.
The depth behind Garrett Wilson and Lazard — Josh Reynolds, Tyler Johnson, Malachi Corley, and Xavier Gipson — doesn’t exactly inspire much confidence. The Jets will likely look to add a wide receiver at some point in the draft, would could spell bad news for the final Aaron Rodgers era holdover.