Jets unveil process for second overall pick

It is the question on every New York Jets fan’s mind this week: Will the team focus their draft efforts on players who are deemed “safe” picks, or go for higher upside prospects?

The prime example of this debate involves the second overall pick. New York appears torn between the proven pass rusher in Texas Tech star David Bailey, or the athletic versatility and upside of Ohio State phenom Arvell Reese.

Bailey is coming off a season in which he led the country in sacks, but he carries questions about his effort and run defense. Reese, meanwhile, doesn’t have nearly the same pass rushing experience as his counterpart, but is more versatile and is expected to grow into an elite player.

While the Jets aren’t exactly leaking who they intend to draft with the second overall pick, they did give a quick glimpse into their thought process on Tuesday.

Immediate contributors

Unlike previous regimes, the Jets have not leaked any hints about their plans before the draft. Keeping quiet gives them the advantage to control the board in their favor.

It’s working. Every report that has come out over the past few months has been nothing more than speculation from across the league. None of it has come from inside the Jets facility.

On Tuesday, general manager Darren Mougey gave an inkling of where the team may be leaning, though.

“We’re in the business of projecting these guys, what their value could be,” Mougey said. “We’re talking ceilings and floors all the time with all these prospects and how they fit here and what they could be and what they could not be based on their deficiencies or their abilities.”

If the Jets are focusing on the upside of prospects, then it stands to reason that Reese will be the pick over Bailey at No. 2. His ability to stop the run and potential as a pass rusher may be too good for the Jets to pass up.

With the way the team has operated in the shadows, though, the team may not be completely sold on upside either.

It leaves a very interesting situation coming for New York on Thursday.

Reese vs. Bailey

When discussing who the Jets are expected to choose between Reese and Bailey, the focus starts with their defensive alignment. If the team drafts a player who isn’t a fit for the coaching staff’s schematic approach, it essentially wasted a coveted pick.

That’s why, with whoever the Jets choose, they have to fit the mold that head coach Aaron Glenn made clear this offseason.

“We will be a multiple defense,” Glenn said. “So, there will be elements of 4-3, there will be elements of 3-4. And I think sometimes, it’s overblown, when you look at it, you’re in nickel like 70% of the time. So, you’re in a four-down spacing for the most part.”

Based on Glenn’s answer, Reese appears to be the better overall fit. His work as an off-ball linebacker at Ohio State, coupled with his excellent reps as a pass rusher proves he can be put anywhere on the field for New York.

He would be the ultimate chess piece on a defense with so few going into 2026.

Bailey, meanwhile, is a proven commodity as a pass rusher. Sure, the Jets could move him along the line of scrimmage, but they can’t drop him into coverage or ask him to play sideline to sideline. That’s simply not the All-American’s game.

If anything, though, Bailey’s best attributes appear to make him a good fit in the kind of “wide nine” scheme that several 4-3 coaches are known to run, including former Jets head coach Robert Saleh.

But even with potential scheme questions looming over Bailey, New York isn’t closing the book on their decision at No. 2—not publicly, at least.