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We're past the midway point of the 2026 NFL season, and the Jets should have a pretty good indication of where their rookie class is at this time.
Spoiler alert: they've been very encouraging.
From late-round production to the team's top talent early, the Jets have gotten everything they should want to see from their deep rookie class. So let's take out the report cards and see who has stood out the most.
The debate between if the Jets should've taken David Bailey or Arvell Reese will go on for many years beyond their rookie season.
Through nine games, though, it's clear the Jets made the right choice for them. Bailey has had a transcendent start to his first season with the team, recording 7.5 sacks and forcing five fumbles. His run defense isn't the greatest, but it's light-years better than what people originally thought it would be like coming out of college.
Bailey remains a blue-chip talent for the team going forward. As he develops, he could be the next great pass rusher this league is waiting to see. It's been a joy to watch him make big plays whenever he steps on the field.
It's been a frustrating year to judge Sadiq. Not because of what he's put on the field, but because of the lack of creativity in getting him the football from the Jets' coaching staff. They seemingly aren't entirely sure how to coordinate their offense with so much talent to choose from.
Because of that, Sadiq's numbers are a bit overlooked. The 16th overall pick has recorded 21 receptions for 235 yards and a touchdown. It should be more, though, if the team understood how to use his freakish athleticism.
Much like many players on this list, Omar Cooper Jr. has had a case of the injury bug early in the year. That said, his production while on the field has been superb. He was the first Jets receiver with back-to-back 100-yard receiving games since 1985, and he is already showing his skill set to be a big-play playmaker.
On the season, Cooper has recorded 20 receptions for 306 yards and two touchdowns. The more he plays, the better he will be. Cooper is a major part of the Jets' future.
Ponds is a difficult player to judge through his early snaps. The second-round corner out of Indiana missed all of training camp and the start of the season with an injury. Since his return to the field, the Jets have worked Ponds primarily out of the slot, a position he does not have a ton of experience in.
That said, the work we've seen so far from Ponds this season has been solid. He hasn't done enough to generate any coverage grades from Pro Football Focus, but has some solid reps in coverage. He's been penalized twice this year.
As of now, there is more tape on Ponds than some of the other late-round selections, so he'll get an average grade with room to grow moving forward.
New York's struggles with drafting quality day three talent have been well documented. For the first time in years, it seems like they may actually be correcting that mistake.
Jackson has not been dominant or the second coming of a Hall-of-Fame defensive tackle. However, he has been a quality piece to the defensive line rotation and one of the lone bright spots for the entire front seven this season. Jackson led the team in run stops last week in Kansas City and has an above-average grade (58.7) from Pro Football Focus, one of the highest of all current players in the Jets tackle room.
New York should be excited to see his development continue.
Perhaps we eventually see Klubnik out on the field once the season is nearly over (a final two games type of deal), but we aren't there yet. Instead, the Clemson product will have to take solace in sitting behind Geno Smith for the remainder of his first season. There's a lot to like out of Klubnik from his work in the preseason, but still. He gets an incomplete grade until we can actually see him get meaningful snaps.
New York's offensive line is a strength this season, but Cooper hasn't been healthy enough to play. He's been on short-term IR for most of the year. Cooper is a project offensive lineman with the potential to be an impact player in a few years.
Like many late-round rookies, it's unfair to even put a grade on Payne, considering he hasn't been healthy or played at all so far this season. Perhaps he will get some time now that Andre Cisco is no longer with the team, but that remains to be seen.
This has been one of the better draft classes the Jets have enjoyed in recent years. Almost every rookie who has seen playing time has gotten a chance to excel in some way. With stronger coaching and more development, the path is there for the 2026 class to be more impactful in a positive way than the 2022 one was.
There are, of course, questions. What would a new coaching staff do with some of these players? Is there hope they can get the most out of this talent?
But from a sheer report card basis, the Jets' future is very bright with this class.
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