It is widely expected that the Raiders will begin the 2026 NFL draft on Thursday by selecting Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. What is less known is who will the Jets take with the No. 2 pick.
Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese and Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey are widely viewed as the top two options for the Jets with that pick. As the Jets narrow down their decision, they created buzz last week by canceling their top-30 visit with Bailey. Did that decision mean the Jets were leaning toward Reese instead? After all, if the Jets already realized they’re set on Reese at No. 2, they do not need to make Bailey take an unnecessary trip.
Jets general manager Darren Mougey, however, advised not to look too much into that decision.
“With top 30s, every team uses them differently, and has different ways of using that mechanism,” Mougey said Tuesday. “Some teams don’t use them at all. I would say for us, when we do top 30s, every single player and case is different. Sometimes I want this player to meet with our player engagement department. Sometimes I want this player to meet with sports performance, sometimes it’s purely medical, sometimes it’s a recruiting process, sometimes it’s a smokescreen.”
Mougey continued, “In regards to David, we had good touch points with him at the combine. We went to his pro day, had a good dinner with him. We were just juggling with our 30 and how to use them. I wouldn’t look too much into a cancellation because there were other ones we may have changed as well.”
This is only the second draft for the Jets under Mougey. Notably, The Athletic shared that last season the Jets only drafted one player that they reportedly held for a top-30 visit, fourth-round pick Arian Smith (not all visits were reported, though). Reese has had a top-30 visit with the Jets.
More: 2026 NFL Draft Guides: Needs, Fits and Each Team’s Path to Success
The Jets have a difficult choice in picking between Reese and Bailey. On one hand, Reese is the incredibly gifted player with a higher ceiling. He, however, spent much of his college career playing off-ball linebacker and could take time to develop as an edge rusher in the pros. Meanwhile, Bailey is the more ready-now player at the position, and is coming off a 14.5-sack season with Texas Tech.
Sports Illustrated’sAlbert Breer explained why he believes Bailey makes the most sense for the Jets last week, writing, “Bailey is the guy who’ll help now—help get a defensive system off the ground, help create belief in the locker room and help provide that light at the end of the tunnel. He’s worthy of the pick, too, with sparkling advanced statistics backing up a lot of tape showing a plug-and-play, hand-in-the-ground pass rusher. That explains why so many NFL folks see this one coming down the tracks and why it would make so much sense for the Jets.”
It’s still up in the air whether the Jets will ultimately pick Reese or Bailey, but either way, a promising pass rusher is set to fall into their laps on Thursday.
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EVA GEITHEIM
Eva Geitheim is an NFL writer at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor’s in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or rewatching Gilmore Girls.
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