Jets predicted to go versatile 6.5 sack defender over 14.5 sack edge with No. 2 pick
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Jets predicted to go versatile 6.5 sack defender over 14.5 sack edge with No. 2 pick originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New York Jets have the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and will have their choice of any player not named Fernando Mendoza with this pick.
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While they have so many options, recent reporting suggests one of two players is likely the option with this pick for Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey.
ESPN's Jordan Reid is predicting that of those two options, Glenn and the Jets will side with the 6.5 sack hybrid defender in Arvell Reese over the 14.5 sack edge rusher in David Bailey.
Jets predicted to go Arvell Reese over David Bailey
"...though I ultimately believe the Jets go with Reese and his upside No. 2," Reid writes. "Opinions are mixed on which position he projects best at in the NFL, but I have him graded as an off-ball linebacker who could be sparingly used as an edge rusher."
The Jets, with the No. 2 overall pick, are likely to go for one of Bailey or Reese. It's, as Reid notes, "...a pick that truly feels 50-50."
But, he believes that Reese will be the pick No. 2 overall instead of Bailey, and that's despite his view of Reese being more of an off-ball player than a full-time edge rusher.
The Jets likely would want Reese to turn into the next Abdul Carter or Micah Parsons, rather than an off-ball linebacker who can also rush the passer occasionally.
More: Jets ideal pick at No. 2 overall is Arvell Reese out of Ohio State
Taking him No. 2 overall and getting an off-ball player would be a bit of a disappointment, but the upside is likely too high to pass on. He had 6.5 sacks last year and could be in store for even better production in the NFL.
ESPN's Matt Miller, in the same article, also shared that there is a contingent in the Jets building that supports Bailey with the second pick.
It looks like one or the other, with Reese holding the upside and Bailey the "safe" floor after posting 14.5 sacks this past season for Texas Tech off the edge.
It's going to be a very interesting decision from the Jets, as they could easily go with Reese over Bailey, as Reid predicts here, and it wouldn't be a surprise at all. But the inverse is true as well, with Bailey hardly being a surprise if he were the pick.
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