A change of opinion.
The New York Jets are now being praised for something they were heavily criticized for in the moment. Moe Moton of Bleacher Report ranked the top 25 moves of the 2026 NFL offseason.
The Jets’ selection of Texas Tech pass rusher David Bailey with the No. 2 overall pick in the first round ranked No. 13.
“With the Las Vegas Raiders expected to take Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick, the New York Jets had a tough decision between top pass-rushing prospect David Bailey and a versatile standout defender in Arvell Reese. After trading Jermaine Johnson II to the Tennessee Titans, Gang Green made the right move to fill a void in its pass rush rather than figure out where Reese would fit in the defense,” Moton wrote.
What the Heck Has Changed?
Once the Jets ended up with the No. 2 overall pick, it became painfully clear that they weren’t taking a quarterback. If one was worthy of that spot, they would have taken him, but it wasn’t in the cards.
So the conversation quickly shifted to the best defender on the board. It came down to Bailey or Reese.
Among the fan base, the majority wanted Reese over Bailey. Several draft experts agreed, including Dane Brugler of The Athletic, who ranked Reese as the best overall prospect in this class.
The preferential treatment ultimately boiled down to Bailey’s perceived weaknesses in run defense and Reese’s higher ceiling as an NFL player. Despite all that, the Jets took Bailey.
On paper, it all made sense. Bailey led college football in sacks in 2025, and the Jets’ defense finished 31st in sack production last year.
Bailey is a more ready now player, while Reese was a bit of a projection in terms of what his role would be as a rookie.
Hard to Evaluate
We have had a rookie minicamp, 10 OTA practices, and will have a three-day mandatory minicamp before training camp.
It’s nearly impossible to evaluate any trench play because of the lack of full pads and physicality.
On Wednesday, June 10, Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports asked head coach Aaron Glenn about what things he has and hasn’t been able to evaluate about Bailey, considering those factors.
“Yeah, the first step quickness is something that pops off the tape, like immediately. Obviously, you already said, the physical part of it, you just can’t get as much as you want in that aspect. But you do see the hand usage, you do see the moves he’s trying to create, and this is the time when you want to work on some things that you might not feel as comfortable with; this is the time to work on those things,” Glenn explained.
“So, he’s working on some of his weaknesses, but you do see the strong points of what he has, and I don’t ever want him to lose sight of that, of the things we know that he can do. But this is the time to work on things that you want to get better at, and that’s what we’re focused on with him, is, man, let’s make sure we use that speed rush that you have, but also understand that you can rush with power, and you have a spin move that can be pretty deadly in his arsenal,” Glenn added.
Jets Credited for Making One of the Best Moves of NFL Offseason