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3 Jets Draft Picks Who Are Officially Busts Following 2023 Season

These three New York Jets draft picks are more than deserving of the bust label following the 2023 NFL season.

By Devon Platana

QB Zach Wilson is one of three Jets draft busts from the last few years.
QB Zach Wilson is one of three Jets draft busts from the last few years. / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
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2. S Ashtyn Davis — 2020 Round 3, Pick 68

Ashtyn Davis had a lot of Jets fans excited when he was drafted 68th overall in 2020. The once-promising safety was coming off a solid college season that saw him earn second-team All-Pac-12 honors in his fifth campaign with the California Golden Bears.

Davis was a mainstay on defense in his first two NFL seasons, playing a total of 1,147 defensive snaps across 23 games (16 starts). His third year was when things began to change. After playing a career-high 745 defensive snaps in 2021, the Santa Cruz, CA native was limited to just 13 in 2022 as he spent the majority of the campaign on special teams.

Although Davis did wind up seeing 217 defensive snaps in 2023, he still played nearly double that on special teams (396). While he did only allow 12 completions on 21 targets for 117 yards without a TD, his four missed tackles didn't do him any favors to earn more playing time. If anything, it likely further pigeon-holed him into a special teams role.

Don't get me wrong: there isn't anything wrong with being a career special teamer in the NFL. The issue is that you typically don't expect a third-round draft pick to develop into one this quickly. If Davis was drafted on Day 3, it'd be a completely different story. But the fact that he's a former Day 2 selection who's rarely seeing defensive playing time can't be ignored.

Davis is a free agent this offseason, though, meaning it's far from guaranteed that he'll be back in a Jets jersey this fall.

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