The New York Jets made a whopping three picks in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and they have the Denver Broncos to thank for the way they absolutely crushed their picks.
Jets general manager Darren Mougey worked in the Denver Broncos' scouting department and front office from 2012-2024, and he was the top lieutenant to Broncos GM George Paton from 2022-2024 as the Assistant GM. Even though the Broncos had just one first-round pick in that timeframe, Mougey clearly has a good grasp on how to quickly reload a roster and set the table for a quarterback.
And he's taken a very patient approach there as well. The Jets used the 2nd overall pick in the draft on pass rusher David Bailey, a great way to kick off a class that could be franchise-altering in the long run.
Denver Broncos prepared Jets GM Darren Mougey well for NFL Draft masterclass
Working with George Paton in Denver, Mougey only saw the Broncos actually make two first-round selections. In 2021, the Broncos used their 1st-round pick (9th overall) on cornerback Pat Surtain II. They didn't pick in the first round again until 2024, where they took Oregon quarterback Bo Nix 12th overall.
The Russell Wilson trade robbed the Broncos of a lot of draft capital from 2022-23.
In his first two seasons with the Jets, Mougey has already made four first-round selections:
- Armand Membou, OT, Missouri (2025)
- David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech
- Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
- Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana
Assembling a roster is different in every context, but it really feels like Mougey is nailing it with the Jets in a lot of ways.
The Jets have made some really smart picks with their draft capital, and Mougey has managed to acquire that extra capital in the 1st round by moving on from players like Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, very good players but movable pieces who each helped him land multiple starters.
When you look at the Jets offensively, they've gone from being in somewhat of a miserable position to now looking pretty strong on paper with Breece Hall at running back, Garrett Wilson, AD Mitchell, and Omar Cooper Jr. at receiver, and the new duo of Mason Taylor and Kenyon Sadiq at tight end.
Defensively, the Jets now have David Bailey paired up off the edge with Will McDonald IV, and their trade with the Titans earlier this offseason landed them a high-upside player in T'Vondre Sweat to anchor the interior.
Mougey has been wheeling and dealing since he got that job, and what he ultimately is taking from his time with the Broncos and applying as the GM of the Jets is that you have to build a team to your conviction as a GM. You have to buy what you're selling, in a manner of speaking.
Many general managers try to make things work with the pieces leftover from the previous regime, while others try too hard to make their own stamp on an organization without a clear plan in place. What Mougey is doing feels like a well-executed vision, which the Broncos can obviously speak to in the way they've also dug out of a major hole in the past couple of years.
The ultimate test will be whenever Mougey gets the chance to stake his name to a quarterback, and that time will come soon enough.
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