The Jets appear to have narrowed down their options for the second overall pick in April’s draft to edge defenders Arvell Reese and David Bailey.
Reese looked as if it would emerge as a transparent favorite earlier this week, as noted by PFR’s own Adam La Rose. Nonetheless, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah and ESPN’s Peter Schrager imagine that Bailey will likely be the Jets’ alternative on draft day.
“Bailey is a rather more polished pass rusher,” Jeremiah explained. “He’s the more known commodity, whereas with Reese, you’re planing the upside game and hoping what you’re going to get.”
Schrager and Jeremiah then said they’ve each heard that the Jets prefer Bailey as a “bird within the hand” pick – a more pro-ready, polished prospect who will immediately upgrade Latest York’s pass rush. But Brian Costello of the Latest York Post threw some cold water on that projection, arguing that their source was probably coming from outside quite than contained in the organization.
It seems, subsequently, that the Jets have yet to lock of their alternative for the No. 2 pick. With two weeks until the draft, they still have loads of time to settle what appears to be a two-man race. Jeremiah compared the Jets’ alternative to the Jaguars’ in 2022.
“It jogs my memory a lot of the [Aidan] Hutchinson–Travon Walker debate,” he said. “‘Hutch’ is the higher pass rusher straight away and Travon Walker was this physical freak who’s not there yet, but you’re hoping he’s going to get there. Now, each of them have been really good pros. In that scenario, the higher athlete went ahead of the more polished player.”
On this case, though, he believes that the alternative will occur. Bailey has more experience as an edge rusher in comparison with Reese, who primarily played off-ball linebacker at Ohio State and might want to develop a pass rush repertoire within the NFL. Bailey already has a full set of moves and a gameplan for how one can use them to get to opposing passers. And as Hutchinson shows, having a high floor doesn’t mean that there’s a low ceiling when it comes to upside.