The New York Jets had eight picks to use in this weekend's 2026 NFL Draft and they used the last of their draft capital for this year to select Kansas State safety VJ Payne with the 228th (seventh round) overall pick. As many Jets fans know at this point, New York became the first time in NFL history to finish a season without recording an interception so the hope is that Payne could play a part in preventing that from happening again.

"Payne has plenty of experience, starting 42 games over the past four seasons. In run support, he plays strong downhill but needs to use his length better to wrap up ball carriers. He missed 12 tackles on designed rushes in 2025," Scouts Inc. wrote in part of its scouting report on Payne. The Jets' secondary needs more players to contribute next season so here are some of Payne's highlights to see how he factors into that rotation:

Love the VJ Payne pick for NYJ pic.twitter.com/wFfomJ7JmR

VJ Payne (6’3 210) Kansas State+ Competitive at the catch point+ 81-inch wingspan+ Just a 47.2% completion rate allowed against him in 2025+ 74.1 coverage grade + Over 2,400 snaps played+ Open field tackling - Can get handsy down the field and had 5 penalties in 2024 (2… pic.twitter.com/AR9UQzOZdg

— Bengals & Brews (@BengalsBrews) February 6, 2026

Kansas State safety VJ Payne is another player I’m much higher on than consensus (66th overall on my board). Elite size for the position at 6031, 210 with 34” arms + freak athlete (clocked in over 23mph in the spring). Think his 2024 tape was better, but Payne has traits you… pic.twitter.com/zGeX7MjJXS

This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: Highlights of Jets' seventh-round pick S VJ Payne