The David Bailey context that Jets fans must remember

A large chunk of the New York Jets fanbase was surprised by the team’s decision to select David Bailey over Arvell Reese with the second pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

Despite widespread praise for the choice around the NFL, many fans chastised the team and general manager Darren Mougey for passing on Reese, who some perceived to be the player with a higher ceiling.

For the Jets fans who are still down on the Bailey pick, there is an important piece of context to keep in mind.

Did fans view Bailey-versus-Reese all wrong?

Since early in the draft process, Reese was the consensus favorite to be the Jets’ selection at No. 2. As far back as February 6, he was being mocked to the Jets in 70% of mock drafts.

For months, Reese’s grip only seemed to get tighter. Safety Caleb Downs was removed from the conversation after the Jets traded for Minkah Fitzpatrick and signed Dane Belton. Fellow edge rusher Rueben Bain exited the debate after his alarmingly short arm-length measurement at the combine.

Bailey lingered as a dark horse throughout the past few months, but Reese always seemed like the clear-cut choice. Much of it had to do with his apparent fit in the scheme of Jets head coach Aaron Glenn, especially after Glenn came out and revealed his plans for a “multiple” defense, which only further pointed to New York selecting the versatile Reese.

Then, something shifted.

In the weeks leading up to the draft, Bailey began to turn the No. 2 pick debate into something of a coin flip. At one point, he usurped Reese as the betting favorite.

Even with the rise in Bailey chatter, come April 13, Reese was still being sent to the Jets in 79% of mocks, according to the consensus mock draft. It felt as if primarily media members were pushing the Bailey narrative, whereas the majority of fans and draftniks were still committed to Reese as the first non-quarterback to go off the board.

As the hours to the draft counted down, Reese still seemed on track to be the pick. For the most part, the chatter around Bailey seemed to be nothing but drummed-up hype by the media.

Or… was it?

Now that Bailey is a Jet, it shines a whole new light on the weeks of pre-draft chatter that linked him to New York.

When the Bailey train began picking up steam, many Jets fans wrote it off based on the notion that the “reports” were not actually coming from Florham Park. Rather, it seemed the Bailey predictions were merely based on the opinions of people who were not in the Jets’ building, whether it was scouts and general managers around the league or the reporters themselves.

Even now, it appears that all of this was true.

On April 21, two days before the draft, ESPN’s Peter Schrager admitted that “there are absolutely no leaks out of Florham Park.” Yet, Schrager continued to tout Bailey as his expected pick at No. 2 overall. He downplayed the idea of Reese being the pick, citing that “the rest of the league doesn’t feel that way.”