Before Sam Darnold came down with mono, before the swarm of injuries, and before everything else that’s gone wrong during this godforsaken Jets season, there really was hope.



Standing behind a podium as his team opened training camp, Adam Gase fed the team’s success-starved fan base a heaping helping of positivity. Playoffs? No. Super Bowl? Don’t push it. But the coach instead promised New York would play “meaningful games” in November and December.



That sure sounded good at the time.



It’s technically still true.



According to Football Outsiders, the 1-7 Jets currently have a 0.2 percent chance at making the playoffs. But these games have a ton of meaning for draft positioning. And if things go New York’s way, the 2020 class might be among the most historic in team history.



At the moment, the Jets hold seven picks in the upcoming draft: Their own first, second, third, fourth and fifth, a conditional...