Would the New York Jets have benefited from an NFL Draft lottery?
Imagining if the New York Jets would have benefited from an NFL Draft lottery, after Tuesday's wild NHL lottery.
The New York Jets entered the 2026 NFL Draft knowing they didn't stand a chance at a franchise quarterback . Despite finishing with the worst record (3-14) in the league, from the moment Week 18 concluded, the Jets knew the Las Vegas Raiders had the No. 1 selection in the NFL Draft.
Despite four teams finishing 3-14, the strength of schedule (SOS) tiebreaker determined the Raiders deserved the top pick. In what many scouts described as a one-quarterback draft, that meant the Raiders were given the opportunity to select Fernando Mendoza at No. 1.
The Jets, despite desperately needing a quarterback as bad as the Raiders did, took the best defensive player available in EDGE David Bailey . After the events of Tuesday in the NHL's exhilarating draft lottery, you can't help but wonder if the Jets would have benefited from a similar system. The Vancouver Canucks entered the lottery with the best odds to earn the No.
1 selection in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. The Toronto Maple Leafs , who had the fifth-best odds, miraculously won the lottery and now have the right to draft the best overall prospect . The Maple Leafs and Jets share similarities as two tortured, passionate fanbases.