Under new general manager Darren Mougey and new head coach Aaron Glenn, the team is not tweaking the roster. They are flipping it, rethinking the formula, and going after talent like they mean it. In one stunning 2025 NFL mock draft by Mike Band of NFL.com, they traded up for the biggest star in college football, Travis Hunter.
In Band’s latest mock, based on research, insider notes, and team tendencies, the Jets do not wait around at pick number seven. Instead, they send that pick along with a 2025 third-rounder to the Jacksonville Jaguars and move up to number five. They aim to get ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders and grab Hunter, the Colorado superstar who lit up both sides of the ball last year and has become the most talked-about athlete in the draft class.
Hunter is the kind of player you build your whole team around. In 2024, he caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns while also recording 36 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 11 pass breakups as a cornerback. He won the Heisman Trophy and was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
Over two seasons at Colorado, he totaled 153 catches, 1,979 yards, and 20 touchdowns on offense. On defense, he made 66 tackles, 7 interceptions, and 16 pass deflections. These numbers tell the story of a true game-changer player.
For the Jets, he is exactly what they need. Davante Adams is gone, and Garrett Wilson cannot carry the offense alone. Hunter comes in as a starting receiver opposite Garrett Wilson, giving the Jets a second reliable target who can stretch the field and ease the load on whoever’s under center, and that is only half of what Hunter brings to the table.
On defense, he could become the starting slot corner right away. Michael Carter II played that position last season but struggled and earned a low 50.7 grade from Pro Football Focus.
With Hunter in the slot and Sauce Gardner locking down the outside, the Jets would have one of the best young cornerback duos in the league. They would be fast, smart, and aggressive. Aaron Glenn, who was once a standout corner himself, would be coaching two of the most exciting defensive backs in football.
As exciting as Hunter is, the move to trade up also brings another issue to the surface: what happens to Alijah Vera-Tucker.
He is only 25 and was finally healthy in 2024, putting together a strong season with a 74.5 grade in both pass blocking and run blocking. He is tough and reliable and can play both guard and tackle, which makes him one of the most valuable players on the offensive line. For a team that gave up 68 sacks last year, which was the third-most in NFL history, a player like Vera-Tucker should be someone you keep no matter what.
However, according to Pro Football Focus writer Bradley Locker, Vera-Tucker might actually be the Jets’ most valuable trade asset because New York is facing the same problem Seattle had earlier this year. They have too many young, talented players and not enough money to pay all of them, and with contracts ending soon and the cap getting tight, Vera-Tucker could be the one who has to go. It sounds harsh, but this is how the league works.
He is the kind of lineman other teams want. He is proven, versatile, and would bring a big return in a trade—likely more than someone like Breece Hall or Joe Tippmann.
Trading him would be painful, but it could give the Jets more picks, more cap space, and a better shot at fixing other areas of the roster. That includes continuing to improve the offensive line, which still needs help even with Vera-Tucker on it.
That is the balancing act facing Mougey and Glenn. They want playmakers and depth, but they also need a line that can protect whoever plays quarterback, whether it is Justin Fields or someone else.
They have already met with several top offensive line prospects and could draft more. But if Vera-Tucker is traded, that task becomes even harder.
Still, the Jets are not playing it safe because they are making bold moves, and for once, they are not waiting for things to come together—they are taking control and forcing the action. Mougey’s bold style and Glenn’s strong focus on defense are a clear change from what Jets fans have seen in past years because they want to win, and they want to win with speed, toughness, and stars on both offense and defense.
Now, the spotlight is on them. Will they actually go all-in for Travis Hunter? Will Vera-Tucker be dealt with to free up resources? Can they build a strong offensive line while stacking up young weapons?
These aren’t the same Jets we’ve seen before. They’re loud, they’re bold, and they’re done waiting. They are swinging big, and they are not afraid to break the rules to get ahead.
