New York Jets 7 round 2025 NFL mock draft headlined by Aaron

Rodgers replacement
The New York Jets remain in a rut under owner Woody Johnson. The only way out is to get lucky with their next head coaching search and uncover a true franchise quarterback. The odds are long if history is any indicator, but our Jets 2025 NFL mock draft looks to accomplish the impossible.

We went seven rounds and came out with a stacked class that aggressively improves a roster needing several impact contributors.

New York Jets 7-Round 2025 NFL Mock Draft
Round 1, No. 8 Overall: Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
There’s no question that Jalen Milroe is this class’ top wildcard. The dynamic athlete isn’t polished enough as a passer to rely upon for 40 dropbacks a game, but an offense that gets him on the move and simplifies his leverage reads can be explosive. Much like Anthony Richardson, Milroe’s raw tools are too good to be given a chance to develop.

Why not New York? Assuming they hit on the coach, Milroe offers an upside better than anyone else, and there’s more to tangibly like than other recent busts like Sam Darnold and Zach Wilson. Milroe needs his own Kevin O’Connell to avoid a Darnold arc, though.

Round 2, No. 41 Overall: Cameron Williams, OT, Texas
The Jets have a solid offensive line after dumping major resources into it, but Morgan Moses is the last veteran who can be replaced. Olu Fashanu has struggled, as expected, in his rookie campaign. The same will happen for Cameron Williams.

However, Williams’ upside is similar to Fashanu’s. Every roster aims to have franchise bookends with elite athleticism. Getting him on Day 2 would be a huge win for the front office.

Round 3, No. 95 Overall: Darien Porter, CB, Iowa State
A fringe first-round defender on my board, Darien Porter is a receiver convert who plays cornerback with fluidity, physicality, and ball-hawking ability. The 6-foot-4 defender can benefit from playing with a talented surrounding cast, most notably Sauce Gardner, while he gets valuable snaps. However, like Tariq Woolen, Porter might not be as far off as we think.

Allowing only 20 receptions on 41 targets throughout his career, Porter is an ideal zone defender. There’s some game-planning needed to compensate for that, but this price point is too good to ignore.

Round 4, No. 110 Overall: Tate Ratledge, IOL, Georgia
Who doesn’t love depth? The Jets are set for now along the interior of their line, but an injury can quickly derail the unit. Tate Ratledge has the power at 320 pounds and the experience to trust and fill in as a guard if he needs to. He was the top player available when my pick came around.

Round 5, No. 145 Overall: Antwaun Powell-Ryland, EDGE, Virginia Tech
Despite repeated investments along the defensive line, there’s always a need for depth. New York’s sudden decline along the front has made this a much more pressing need than expected. But the board fell how it did, and this was the best chance to get a contributor.

A hyper-productive presence over the last few seasons, Antwaun Powell-Ryland is primarily a third-down option. His run defense is lacking, but he’s quick at 252 pounds, so there’s value to be had with a rotational presence.

Round 5, No. 161 Overall: Zane Durant, DT, Penn State
Undersized defensive tackles are tough to project, as most guys under 6-foot-2 and 290 pounds go on Day 3. However, Zane Durant’s film is good enough to justify taking him in the top 100. This is another surprising value addition to a position lacking depth.

Durant is well-balanced and quick, providing a spark on all three-downs. He may not declare for the 2025 class, though.

Round 6, No. 184 Overall: Jamon Dumas-Johnson, LB, Kentucky
Primarily a run-game hammer and occasionally decent pass-rusher, Jamon Dumas-Johnson is your typical two-down Day 3 linebacker addition. There’s special teams value and potential starting upside in his specific role, and C.J. Mosley’s departure means the Jets could use a functional body.

Round 6, No. 207 Overall: Ja’Corey Brooks, WR, Louisville
Our team is higher on Ja’Corey Brooks than this, as receivers who are 6-foot-3, have an elite recruiting pedigree, and have an elite contested catch rate are always given chances. Brooks does a lot of things really well, and the former Alabama playmaker has proven to be a creative and explosive presence. He may not see the field right away, but getting a developmental young guy this late is good business

NFLNew York Jets Urged To Get Into Sam Darnold Sweepstakes This Offseason as free agency with Vikings contract set expire

New York Jets Urged To Get Into Sam Darnold Sweepstakes This Offseason as free agency with Vikings contract set expire this season
The New York Jets have been urged to make a run at Sam Darnold this offseason to address their quarterback need.

It appears that this offseason, the New York Jets will be looking to add a quarterback to their roster.

It is difficult to imagine the head coach and general manager of the incoming regime choosing to commit to Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterback in 2025. His performance has fallen short of what we were used to seeing, but this is not shocking.

He turned 41 on December 2 and is coming off a 2023 season in which he played only four plays before suffering an Achilles injury.

That isn’t a winning combination, particularly considering that in 2022 he was beginning to show signs of decline.

Trending toward landing a top 10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Jets unfortunately won’t find many quarterback options to choose from.

Considered a weaker class at the position, they may be better off scouring the market for a free agent. Someone who could be a bridge to a younger quarterback acquired later on or young enough to be the starter for the foreseeable future.

Some New York fans will cringe at this idea, but Bill Barnwell has urged the franchise to get in on the Sam Darnold sweepstakes this offseason.

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Jets had a tumultuous tenure with the franchise to begin his career. He got three seasons to prove his worth before getting replaced by Zach Wilson, who was selected No. 2 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.

But, things could be different this time. As Barnwell pointed out, there is more help on the roster now than he ever had during his first stint.

“The Jets might not be able to bring back Darnold, whose contract with the Vikings expires after this season, but they can offer a clear path to a starting role and two elite playmakers in Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall.

Olu Fashanu has been inconsistent in his rookie season, but he’ll get a full year at left tackle in 2025, and the Jets have invested heavily up front.

We’ll have to see who ends up as the offensive coordinator, but there’s enough to like in New York relative to other potential openings around the league.”

At the end of that tenure, Adam Gase was the head coach and his top three wide receivers were Jamison Crowder, Breshad Perriman and Denzel Mims.

Anyone the team hires would be a better match for Darnold than Gase was.

The Jets would be fortunate to hit a home run and land someone who can be as impactful as Kevin O’Connell has been with the Minnesota Vikings.

The head coach has helped Darnold, who was signed to be the backup to 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, has a career year.

He has completed 68.4 percent of his passes for 3,299 yards with 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. There have been some hiccups along the way, but the good has far outweighed the bad this campaign.

His free agent market will be a fascinating one. Minnesota could franchise tag him to help facilitate a deal, but that would require trading away a second-round pick to land him.

Given how much draft capital the Jets have surrendered already, a new general manger may not be willing to do that.

But, if it means filling the most important position on the field, one that has been a thorn in the side of the team for years, it is a worthwhile price to pay

Dolphins, 49ers bring 6-8 records into Sunday matchup

The Miami Dolphins and their electric offense were on the verge of a second straight playoff berth at this time last season. The San Francisco 49ers were about to make an impressive Super Bowl run.

A lot can change in a year.

Now, the Dolphins are clawing their way into the playoff race, while the 49ers are at risk of their first losing season since 2020 if they lose one more game.

They’ll meet Sunday in a matchup of 6-8 teams that have performed below their preseason expectations.

“I think they’re certainly frustrated, as we are,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. “It’s been a trying year. But in no way, shape or form do I expect anything but their best.”

Much of Miami’s struggles this season have been because of regression in parts of their offense.

The Dolphins were one of the best passing and rushing units in the NFL in 2023 with 265.5 yards passing per game and 5.1 yards per rush — both best in the league. The Dolphins are currently averaging just over 222 yards passing (14th in the NFL) and have the second-lowest yards-per-carry average at 3.9. They have the sixth-worst rushing offense in the NFL.

Part of that is because of an offensive line that has not created consistent rush lanes, another issue has been self-inflicted wounds.

“When you truly understand football and you watch the Miami Dolphins this year and from previous years, it’s all about execution,” wide receiver Tyreek Hill said. “It’s all about pre-snap operation. It’s all about not shooting yourself in the foot. I feel like a lot of drives that we’ve had, big plays that we’ve had, they’ve been called back. Or even when we started the drive, we get a false start or we get a holding flag.”

The 49ers have had their own struggles with an inconsistent run game. Since their bye week, they’ve failed to rush for more than 75 yards three times, including against the Rams on Thursday when San Francisco ran the ball 19 times compared to 31 passes and averaged just 3.3 yards per carry.

“We had a number of three-and-outs, a number of short drives,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Whenever you don’t get first downs, whether it’s running the ball or passing the ball, you’re not going to end up having many runs. And I think we ran for one first down in that game. All our first downs were throwing it. I didn’t think we blocked as cleanly, but the main thing was not getting enough carries.”

San Francisco also has not gotten consistent play from Deebo Samuel, who has gone from one of the most dynamic players in the league to a non-productive one.

Samuel has only 101 yards receiving over his last five games and is averaging just 2.8 yards per carry — down from 6.0 the previous three seasons. But Shanahan doesn’t believe the lack of production stems from a lack of explosiveness.

“By no means do I think he’s lost it or anything,” Shanahan said. “His looks haven’t been quite as good this year, just like for everybody. When the 10 guys around you aren’t doing quite as good, whether it’s him, whether it’s the quarterback, whether it’s O-line, you’re not going to do as good as you did the year before.”

McDaniel, who spent five seasons on Shanahan’s staff, said he knows the 49ers too well to underestimate them.

“The NFL is hard,” McDaniel said. “The success breeds tough times ahead because when you’re a good team, especially for as long as the San Francisco 49ers have been good, there’s not one team that lines up on Sunday taking them lightly.”

The 49ers got a major boost defensively in the first half last week when linebacker Dre Greenlaw returned for the first time since tearing his Achilles tendon in the Super Bowl last season.

Despite the 10-month absence, Greenlaw was back to his physical and intense form and had eight tackles in the first half to spearhead San Francisco’s defense and provide needed juice to his defensive teammates.

“I love giving inspiration by going out to play,” he said. “I wish I could have did it more throughout the season. Obviously, I was hurt, couldn’t do that. But being able to go out there and play as hard as I can, I know it’s going to inspire the next man beside me.”

Hill had many Dolphins fans worried this week.

“It’s time for me to go coach,” Hill posted on social media Wednesday, prompting many to speculate if he was hinting at a departure from Miami amid a season in which his production is down.

Hill clarified Thursday he was referring to a potential career in coaching once his playing days are over. Hill said he was proud to see his former teammate Teddy Bridgewater coach his high school alma mater to a state title, and would like to follow in his footsteps.

“That’s all I meant by it,” Hill said. “I didn’t mean it by like, I want to get traded or I want to leave Miami. I’m in a great situation here. I love the guys here. I love this organization.”

Hill has gone from the top receiver in the NFL with 1,799 yards in 2023 to just 805 yards this season. If he fails to reach 1,000 yards in the next three games, it would be his first season below that mark since 2019.