The 5 Best Draft Picks in New York Jets History

Following a tough 3-14 season that saw the New York Jets finish last in the AFC East, the team will be looking to the future when the NFL Draft takes place from April 23-25. The Jets hold nine draft picks, including two in the first round, the highest of which is No. 2.

The organization has a lackluster draft history at best, having selected more than its fair share of busts. But amid all of the disappointing picks, New York has chosen a number of genuine, franchise-changing stars.

Could the Jets’ next great draft selection be in the 2026 class? Gang Green fans certainly hope so. For now, let’s look back at the five best draft picks in franchise history.

Darrelle Revis

The Jets’ most recent period of success was the back-to-back appearances in the AFC Championship game in 2009 and 2010. This cornerback was integral to those deep postseason runs.

The Jets front office was high on Darrelle Revis coming into the 2007 draft. Moving up 11 spots to select him at No. 14 was a sign the franchise hopes he would become a defensive cornerstone.

To say they were right would be an understatement.

Revis made the Pro Bowl in his second season and only improved from there, becoming an All-Pro in each of his next three years in New York and blossoming into one of the greatest cornerbacks in NFL history. Revis left the Jets after the 2012 season and bounced around amid different teams—including the Jets, to whom he returned for two seasons. Had he played in New York longer, he may have ranked even higher on this list.

Mark Gastineau

As a defensive end, Mark Gastineau was one of the NFL’s great pass rushers.

A member of the Jets’ New York Sack Exchange, Gastineau was selected in the second round of the 1979 draft and went on to spend the entirety of his 10-year career with Gang Green. The Jets made four playoff appearances during his tenure, including a run to the conference championship game in 1982.

By that time, Gastineau had come into his own as a dominant pass rusher, having racked up 20 sacks the year before. He followed that up 19 sacks in 1983 and 22 in 1984, the latter a record that stood for 17 years.

Wesley Walker

Wesley Walker made an immediate impact upon joining the Jets in 1977. Finishing his first year with 35 catches for 740 yards, he came in second for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Walker’s play only improved the following year, when he recorded 48 receptions for a career-best 1,169 yards. He earned his first and only All-Pro selection that season and made the first of his two Pro Bowls.

Walker spent the entirety of his 13-year career with the Jets, and his 8,306 yards and 71 touchdowns rank second in franchise history to Don Maynard. After Maynard, he’s widely considered the best wide receiver to don the green and white. Not bad for a second-round pick.

Joe Klecko

The 1977 draft is perhaps the most storied in Jets history. Along with Walker, the organization selected stalwart offensive linemen Dan Alexander and Marvin Powell, the latter of whom was a perennial Pro Bowler. But the greatest value came in the sixth round, when the franchise took defensive lineman Joe Klecko.

Over the course of 11 years in New York, Klecko established himself as one of the greatest defensive players in Jets history. Teaming with Gastineau on the New York Sack Exchange, Klecko twice earned All-Pro honors and was named Defensive Player of the Year by UPI. Like Gastineau, Klecko could terrorize quarterbacks, as evidenced by his 20.5 sacks in 1981. But he wasn’t strictly a pass rusher. In fact, his four Pro Bowl selections came at three different positions, a mark of his remarkable versatility.

Klecko was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023, the same year as Darrelle Revis. He is one of only five Jets to have their numbers retired by the organization.

Joe Namath

There was never any doubt as to who would top this list. Joe Namath is the best player in Jets history. He is the quarterback who guaranteed victory against the heavily favored Baltimore Colts, then backed up that guarantee by leading the Jets to their first—and thus far only—Super Bowl victory. He is a Pro Football Hall of Famer and a bona fide legend of the sport.

The Jets selected Namath with the second overall pick in the 1965 AFL Draft. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and threw for a then-record 4,007 yards in his third season. But it was in his fourth year that Namath became a true icon when he turned in an MVP performance in Super Bowl III.

Namath made five Pro Bowls and was twice named Player of the Year over the course of 13 years in New York. Interestingly, in addition to the Jets selecting him in the AFL draft, the St. Louis Cardinals took him in the NFL Draft in the same year. The Jets were able to sign him first, and the rest is history.