List of New York Jets first-round draft picks

The New York Jets, originally known as the Titans of New York from the team's conception in 1960 until 1962, joined the NFL as part of the 1970 AFL–NFL merger, two years after defeating the Baltimore Colts 16–7 in Super Bowl III.

Joe Namath, the Jets' selection in the first round of the 1965 AFL Draft.

The Titans made their first American Football League Draft selection in 1961. They chose Tom Brown, a defensive lineman/guard from the University of Minnesota, known as the "Rock of Gibraltar", who won the 1960 Outland Trophy as the nation's best lineman and finished 2nd in the Heisman Trophy voting.[1] Brown later became a College Football Hall of Famer and Canadian Football Hall of Famer.

In 1970, the Jets selected Steve Tannen, a defensive back from the University of Florida, as their first pick in the NFL Draft. The team has most recently selected Will McDonald, an EDGE Rusher out of Iowa State University in 2023.

Every year during April, each NFL franchise seeks to add new players to its roster through a collegiate draft known as "the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting", which is more commonly known as the NFL Draft. Teams are ranked in inverse order based on the previous season's record, with the worst record picking first, and the second worst picking second and so on. The two exceptions to this order are made for teams that appeared in the previous Super Bowl; the Super Bowl champion always picks 32nd, and the Super Bowl loser always picks 31st. Teams have the option of trading away their picks to other teams for different picks, players, cash, or a combination thereof. Thus, it is not uncommon for a team's actual draft pick to differ from their assigned draft pick, or for a team to have extra or no draft picks in any round due to these trades.

The Jets have selected the number one overall pick one time: Keyshawn Johnson, a wide receiver from the University of Southern California in the 1996 NFL draft. The team has also selected number two overall twice and number three overall once. The Jets have selected players from University of Southern California seven times, from the Ohio State University six times, five times from the University of Alabama and three times each from the University of Virginia and University of Miami (Florida). Three eventual Hall of Famers were selected by the Jets: Joe Namath John Riggins, and Darrelle Revis

Key

RBRunning backFBFullback
HBHalfbackQBQuarterback
DEDefensive endCCenter
LBLinebackerT or OTOffensive tackle
TETight endG or OGOffensive Guard
WRWide receiverDTDefensive tackle
SSafetyCBCornerback
DBDefensive back

Player selections

Selected number one overallEnshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
New York Jets first-round draft picks
YearPickPlayer namePositionCollegeYrs NFL/AFLYrs w JetsNotes
American Football League (1961–1962) as Titans
1961--Tom BrownDL/GMinnesota00[2][3]
1962--Sandy StephensQBMinnesota00[2][4]
American Football League (1963–1969) as Jets
1963--Jerry StovallHBLSU90[2][5]
1964--Matt SnellFBOhio State99[2][6]
1965--Joe NamathQBAlabama1312[2][7][8]
--Tom NowatzkeFBIndiana80[2][9]
1966--Bill YearbyTMichigan11[2]
196712Paul SeilerC/GNotre Dame52[10][11]
196817Lee WhiteFBWeber State53[10][12]
196926Dave FoleyTOhio State93[10][13]
National Football League, Modern Era (1970–present)
197020Steve TannenDBFlorida55
19716John RigginsRBKansas145
19729Jerome BarkumWR/TEJackson State1212
20Mike TaylorLBMichigan22[14]
197313Burgess OwensCB/SMiami (FL)107
19746Carl BarzilauskasDTIndiana64
1975No draft pick[15]
19766Richard ToddQBAlabama108
19774Marvin PowellTUSC119
19784Chris WardTOhio State76
197914Marty LyonsDE/DTAlabama1111
19802Johnny "Lam" JonesWRTexas55[16][17]
19813Freeman McNeilRBUCLA1212
198223Bob CrableLBNotre Dame66
198324Ken O'BrienQBUC-Davis109
198410Russell CarterCB/SSMU64
15Ron FaurotDE/DTArkansas22[18]
198510Al ToonWRWisconsin88
198622Mike HaightT/GIowa76
198721Roger VickFBTexas A&M31
19888Dave CadiganT/GUSC65
198914Jeff LagemanLBVirginia106
19902Blair ThomasRBPenn State64
1991No draft pick[19]
199215Johnny MitchellTENebraska64
19934Marvin JonesLBFlorida State1010[20]
199412Aaron GlennCBTexas A&M148[21]
19959Kyle BradyTEPenn State138
16Hugh DouglasDECentral State103[22]
19961Keyshawn JohnsonWRUSC114
19978James FarriorLBVirginia145[23]
1998No draft pick[24]
1999[25]
200012Shaun EllisDETennessee1110[26]
13John AbrahamLBSouth Carolina156[27]
18Chad PenningtonQBMarshall118
27Anthony BechtTEWest Virginia105[27]
200116Santana MossWRMiami (FL)144[28]
200222Bryan ThomasDEUAB1111
20034Dewayne RobertsonDTKentucky65[29]
200412Jonathan VilmaLBMiami (FL)103
2005No draft pick[30]
20064D'Brickashaw FergusonTVirginia1010
29Nick MangoldCOhio State1111
200714Darrelle RevisCBPittsburgh108[31]
20086Vernon GholstonDEOhio State52
30Dustin KellerTEPurdue55[32]
20095Mark SanchezQBUSC84[33]
201029Kyle WilsonCBBoise State65[34]
201130Muhammad WilkersonDLTemple87[35]
201216Quinton CoplesDENorth Carolina44
20139Dee MillinerCBAlabama33
13Sheldon RichardsonDTMissouri10*4
201418Calvin PryorSLouisville43
20156Leonard WilliamsDTUSC9*5
201620Darron LeeLBOhio State6*3
20176Jamal AdamsSLSU7*3[36]
20183Sam DarnoldQBUSC6*3
20193Quinnen WilliamsDTAlabama5*5*
202011Mekhi BectonOTLouisville4*4*
20212Zach WilsonQBBYU3*3*
14Alijah Vera-TuckerGUSC3*3*
20224Sauce GardnerCBCincinnati2*2*
10Garrett WilsonWROhio State2*2*
26Jermaine JohnsonDEFlorida State2*2*
202315Will McDonald IVDEIowa State1*1*
202411Olumuyiwa FashanuTPenn State0*0*

Asterisks after active season numbers denote that the player is still active. Asterisks after seasons with Jets numbers denote player is still with the Jets.

Footnotes

References