The New York Jets own the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and there has been plenty of debate over which player the Jets will take.
However, the choices have been narrowed down to Ohio State’s Arvell Reese and Texas Tech’s David Bailey. Both are intriguing prospects, though Reese is a bit more risky with his transition to the edge, leaving a lot more uncertainty with his NFL role.
With the draft just a day away, the Jets, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, have seemed to settle on who they are taking with the No. 2 pick, and it might be a bit of a risky decision from Aaron Glenn.
Jets seem to have decided on No. 2 pick
“Reese versus Bailey has been a topic of debate in the Jets’ building,” Graziano writes. “But ever since Bailey’s planned visit to the Jets got canceled last week, people I trust in the league told me they think the Jets have settled on Reese.”
With the Jets deciding to cancel Bailey’s top-30 visit, there was plenty of speculation that it meant Reese would be the pick at No. 2 overall.
But, there were plenty of other rumors about Bailey being the pick, and Jets general manager Darren Mougey pushed back on the notion that the canceled visit played a role in what the Jets are doing at No. 2 overall.
More: Jets’ ideal pick at No. 2 overall is Arvell Reese out of Ohio State
Graziano’s sources in the league believe differently, as the canceled visit is the spark that has Reese as the player the Jets have seemingly “settled” on taking No. 2 overall.
It would hardly be a surprise, as the upside with the Ohio State linebacker/edge rusher is incredibly high. While he’s got a low floor due to his lack of a clear position fit, if Reese can succeed in the NFL, he could be the next Micah Parsons or Abdul Carter.
He has 6.5 sacks this past season for the Buckeyes, and looked incredibly athletic at the NFL combine and at his pro day. The Jets taking Reese makes a ton of sense, and it seems to be the most likely pick at No. 2 based on this report.