Following their pick of David Bailey at number two overall, the Jets made their second first-round pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. With the 16th overall pick, there were many players left for the Jets to choose from. Were they going to choose the highly-touted receiver Makai Lemon? Were they going to choose an offensive tackle like Blake Miller or Monroe Freeling? Or, were they going to take a defensive tackle, Caleb Banks? How about none. Instead, the NY Jets took a shot in the dark at tight end, Kenyon Sadiq.
Now, Sadiq being picked up by the Jets is not necessarily a bad thing. The guy is absolutely a freak athlete in every sense of the word. However, the biggest headscratcher for many fans is the fact that he was picked when a major wide receiver, Lemon, was sitting right there. One can only wonder how a duo between Lemon and Garrett Wilson would have worked out. Instead, Lemon heads to Philadelphia. Nonetheless, how does Kenyon Sadiq fit into the NY Jets offense?
How does Kenyon Sadiq fit into the NY Jets offense?All Posts
While this pick may have been a bit of a headscratcher overall, it’s certainly not going to be a bad thing to see Sadiq don a New York Jets jersey come game time. As stated above, the guy is just a freak athlete. The best way to describe Sadiq is that he’s a pass-catcher who you can play anywhere and utilize anywhere. The best ability is availability, and this guy is available to play anywhere. You can line him up at the line, inside, outside, simply anywhere, and he will shine.
The Jets were in desperate need of a pass catcher heading into the 2026 NFL season. With Garrett Wilson being the team’s main playmaker, he kind of stands alone in that department. The Jets will heavily rely on Adonai Mitchell to continue to break out, as well as maybe Arian Smith and Quentin Skinner, to have a decent season. Now, the pressure is off some of them as Sadiq quickly enters the fray and becomes a major threat on offense.
Kenyon Sadiq’s pro comp entering this draft was Vernon Davis. If he can be half the player Davis was, this may be a major steal. The Jets kept their interest in Sadiq super quiet for a lot of the pre-draft process. This was definitely a pick out of left field, but it may not be a bad one as time continues to unfold for Sadiq on the NFL field.
Kenyon Sadiq goes #16 to the Jets.
Sadiq’s 2025 Highlights: pic.twitter.com/HZShetlQcR
— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) April 24, 2026
Despite there being a handful of wide receivers on the board, such as Lemon, Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr., and Washington’s Denzel Boston, the Jets opted to add arguably the best playmaker of the draft to their tight end room. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound athletic specimen will join Mason Taylor, who’s looking to continue to improve in his upcoming sophomore season, and Jeremy Ruckert, for whom the jury is still out.
The pick opens up many opportunities for the Jets and unlocks all different kinds of offensive sets for the new offensive coordinator, Frank Reich, to utilize. With that said, pairing Sadiq with another undersized movement tight end, Mason Taylor, could definitely be a challenge for the new offensive coordinator, Frank Reich. What does Sadiq bring to the Jets individually, and how will he fit into this young, developing NY Jets offense?
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Sadiq wowed the scouts with his explosive athleticism. He ran a 4.39 40-yard dash and recorded a 43.5-inch vertical jump. This is alongside his 11-f0ot-1-inch broad jump. He is simply an athletic freak of nature. He does things that tight ends should not be able to do and makes it look easy. Fans have a lot to be excited about for this pick, even if it’s not Makai Lemon.
The real test will come when the games start, but for now, there are definitely a lot of reasons to be excited about the Sadiq pick. Last year at Oregon, he hauled in 51 receptions, 560 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns. This was a massive step up from his previous season, as he essentially doubled all of his stats.
The intrigue of Sadiq’s ability to make big plays already gives the Jets an explosive 12 personnel set. While he’s not amazing, he’s a better blocker than he’s given credit for. He may even sometimes play the backfield with Breece Hall to create some quick passing options underneath for Geno Smith.
This can be viewed as a bold selection, especially given the history of taking a first-round tight end. His 21.2 yards per game in college is the lowest for a first-round tight end in the past 15 drafts. But his performance at the NFL combine leads many to believe that his ceiling may be very high.
Overall, this can be viewed as a positive pick, despite the headscratcher-ness of it all. Reich and the new Jets offensive coaching staff now have their brand new weapon. He can do his part to take some pressure off of Garrett Wilson. Add that to if Adonai Mitchell and Mason Taylor continue to play well, the Jets may be in business when they actually have a good quarterback throwing him the ball in 2027.
