Kenyon Sadiq was drafted 16th overall by the New York Jets as the first tight end in the 2026 NFL Draft. He discusses his fit with the team and his college experiences, highlighting the potential of his fellow teammates.
Key points
Kenyon Sadiq was the first tight end selected in the 2026 NFL Draft.
He was drafted 16th overall by the New York Jets.
Sadiq discusses his fit with the Jets and his college career.
He believes in the potential of his fellow teammates to succeed in the NFL.
Kenyon SadiqNew York JetsMason TaylorDillon Thieneman
Kenyon Sadiq has made the trip from Oregon to New Jersey before. Such are the perils of playing in the expanded Big Ten.
The balance of cross country trips and the rigors of being a student athlete was just one of the cauldrons that forged the Idaho native into the first tight end selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. Sadiq was drafted 16th overall be the New York Jets. He's set to be another jewel in a crown of young playmakers trying to reverse the fortunes of a franchise that's gone more than a decade without a playoff appearance.
Sadiq sat down for a quick interview one week after his Day 1 selection to talk about his college career, how he can elevate an offense ripe with young playmakers and why his teammates will make great pros in 2026 (Dillon Thieneman, Emmanuel Pregnon, etc) or 2027 (Dante Moore). The video is below, along with a few choice quotes from Sadiq's insightful peak behind the Ducks' and Jets' curtains.
On his fit with a Jets team that invested a second round pick on tight end Mason Taylor last year:
"I think it's really common. You're starting to see a lot of these two, three, even four tight end sets pop up, so I don't think it's out of the blue... or anything like that. I think our games could definitely compliment each other. I think we're both unique in our own ways and I think it'll work really well.
"I have a bit more speed. He has a lot of raw strength and his hands are really good and even with Jeremy Ruckert, he is a big strong blocker as well, and I think we can all work together really well.
After being asked whether he sees himself filling an in-line role or being a more dynamic "move" tight end in New York:
"I can do both and not be a liability in the run game."
Q&A
What position does Kenyon Sadiq play and which team drafted him?
Kenyon Sadiq plays as a tight end and was drafted 16th overall by the New York Jets in the 2026 NFL Draft.
How does Kenyon Sadiq view his fit with the New York Jets?
Sadiq believes he can complement Mason Taylor and contribute to the Jets' offense, as multiple tight end sets are becoming common in the NFL.
What did Kenyon Sadiq say about his college experience?
Sadiq described his time at Rutgers as 'fun for about... five minutes,' indicating a challenging experience.
Who are some of Kenyon Sadiq's notable college teammates mentioned?
Sadiq mentioned teammates Dillon Thieneman, Emmanuel Pregnon, and Dante Moore, highlighting their potential to become great professionals.
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Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq hurdles over Penn State cornerback Audavion Collins as the Oregon Ducks face the Penn State Nittany Lions on Sept. 27, 2025, at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.
Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq hurdles over Penn State cornerback Audavion Collins as the Oregon Ducks face the Penn State Nittany Lions on Sept. 27, 2025, at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.
On playing with new offensive coordinator Frank Reich, who maximized athletic and more traditional tight ends like Trey Burton, Eric Ebron, Antonio Gates and Zach Ertz in the NFL:
"I talked to him on Zoom and then finally getting to meet him in person was great. He has a great plan of not only how he envisions me, but the offense as a whole, I don't really want to go into details or anything, but I really trust him and I'm really excited to play for him."
On why Dante Moore will be one of the most sought-after quarterbacks in the 2027 NFL Draft:
"He really does everything pretty well, to be honest. His arm talent is just off the charts, [the way he] sees all these throws. He's getting hit in the face, throwing touchdowns, still not fazed by pressure, but he is also commanding the offense as well.
"It's just him taking those next strides of being confident in himself, trusting everyone around him, kind of developing everyone around him as well to come out next year."
On playing with a veteran, seen-it-all quarterback in Geno Smith in 2026:
"I just want to use him as a resource my first year coming into the league and suck up as much information as I can. He has been through so much adversity, he's kind of seen the ins and outs of this league.
"So I mean really just getting around him, like I said, seeing how he thinks, how he processes information, just me really being a sponge. I'm around him, to be honest, just to get every bit of information."
On how VKTRY insoles (who made this interview possible) wound up being worn by more than half the participants at the combine:
"I think they just had initially sent a bunch of insoles out for us at EXOS to try out. It wasn't by force or anything like that, we all just tested them out and ended up really liking them. Especially when it comes to jumping in them, you can definitely tell a big difference. So as soon as we started testing with the insoles, we all kind of wanted to jump in them."
On scouting his former teammates who were drafted in April:
"He's bringing the hardest worker in the room, that's for sure. There's always me and him in the morning in the facility, first [ones] there getting extra work on top of that. He is a great football player.
"He is a guy that can play in space. He is a great sideline to sideline guy, rarely misses tackles and he is always going to know where to be and when to be there. He knows everything about the game and on top of that, he is a great person, so they got a good player for sure."
"Yeah, that's a big body. First of all, he is a good human. I love being around him. Only got to be around him for a year, but I feel like I've known him forever.
"But no, once again, one of the hardest workers you're going to find. He does really well in any type of zone scheme, gap scheme. He is going to move bodies. He is going to create movement at the point of attack, which is huge."
"That's my guy. We hang out all the time. We'd always go at it in practice.
"In my opinion, it's him and DeAngelo Ponds [drafted by the Jets in Round 2] are the best cover players in college football. He did a great job of guarding Makai Lemon, any of those guys, they didn't really do anything on him.
"He's definitely an undersized guy but you don't see it in his play at all. He is going to make plays with the line of scrimmage and he's going to make plays in the pass game."
"Speed. Malik's so fast and you can go watch that last Washington clip of him, that game winner and just see everything you need to see there. He's a great guy and like I said, he's fast and he's going to get hopping for sure."
On the worst place he played in college:
"I'd probably say Rutgers being one, the travel and then two, just the crowd and everything. It was fun for about the first five minutes of the first quarter and then it was 'everyone's leaving.' No one's in the stands [and] we're on the other side of the country."
