With Fernando Mendoza effectively locked in as the No. 1 overall pick to the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2026 NFL Draft, the New York Jets have zeroed in on two defensive players they are picking from at No. 2 overall: Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey and Ohio State outside linebacker Arvell Reese.
Some like Reese, who is two years younger and theoretically has more upside as a Micah Parsons-level do-it-all defensive chess piece, while others prefer Bailey, who is very clearly the best pure edge pass rusher in this year’s class, even if that’s all he might do at the NFL level.
While the Jets did make waves for canceling Bailey’s visit mere days before the NFL Draft, that didn’t stop ESPN Jets Insider Rich Cimini from giving the Jets the Texas Tech product anyway, as he believes New York could use a ready-made NFL pass rusher for Aaron Glenn’s defense.
“The Jets spent most of their free agent money on their defense, but they still need a dynamic presence in the front seven,” Cimini wrote. “Bailey, with 14.5 sacks last season, can be that player. Arvell Reese will draw strong consideration because of his tantalizing potential, but Bailey gets the edge (no pun intended) because he’s more pro-ready.”
As one of the worst teams in the NFL in 2025 especially on defense, where they famously didn’t record a single interception despite having a former defensive back as their head coach, it makes sense that the Jets would target Bailey or Reese at pick No. 2. Who they ultimately select, however, will have major ramifications on the rest of the first round, as others teams in the top-10 will have to adjust their on strategies depending on whether Reese or Bailey is still on the board at pick No. 3.
The post Why ESPN’s Jets insider is taking David Bailey over Arvell Reese in mock draft appeared first on ClutchPoints.
