After the conclusion of the 2026 NFL Draft, the nation's top media outlets evaluated the Jets' selections and handed out their draft grades. See below what the experts thought of the Green & White's 8 picks - Edge David Bailey (Texas Tech, No. 2), TE Kenyon Sadiq (Oregon, No. 16), WR Omar Cooper Jr. (Indiana, No. 30), CB D'Angelo Ponds (Indiana, No. 50), DT Darrell Jackson Jr. (Florida State, No. 103), QB Cade Klubnik (Clemson, No. 110), G Anez Cooper (Miami (FL), No. 188) and DB VJ Payne (Kansas State, No. 228).
The views expressed are not representative of any Jets personnel.
Grade: A+
"Chose David Bailey over Reese at No. 2 in the first of their three first-rounders. Kenyon Sadiq (16) is the best tight end in the draft. Traded up to get WR Omar Cooper Jr. (30) to give the Jets another playmaker with Garrett Wilson. CB D'Angelo Ponds (50) is similar to coach Aaron Glenn. DL Darrell Jackson Jr. (103) and OL Anez Cooper (188) strengthen the trenches. Took a chance on QB Cade Klubnik (110) in the fourth round."
Grade: A
"I love what the Jets did throughout the draft. With three first-round choices, New York got instant-impact starters. Bailey is the best pure pass rusher in the class, having led college football with 14.5 sacks last year. Both Sadiq and Cooper will bolster the skill-position talent for quarterback Geno Smith, giving him options beyond Garrett Wilson. Ponds, while undersized, is a tone-setter on the back end as well."
Grade: A
"The Jets loaded on explosive athletes for Aaron Gleen and new offensive coordinator Frank Reich. GM Darren Mougey got two pass-defense game-changers in Bailey and Ponds. Sadiq and Omar Cooper make the offense a lot more dangerous. Jackson was good value for the defensive line later. Klubnik was a worthy flyer behind Geno Smith."
Grade: A
"New York added three playmakers on Day 1, starting with David Bailey. Bailey brings tangible production to the table, having led the nation in pressure rate (20.4%) en route to 14.5 sacks -- which also tied for the most among all FBS players. He's a bendy 251-pounder with 4.5 speed that allows him to get on top of QBs quickly. New York went with offense at Nos. 16 and 30. They jumped on Kenyon Sadiq in the middle of Round 1. It wasn't the most obvious need, and I had zeroed this one in on receiver Makai Lemon. But Sadiq is going to be used all over the formation and is basically a big receiver when he's flexed out. He ran a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash and jumped 43½ inches in the vertical jump at 241 pounds. He can box out cornerbacks and safeties and outrun linebackers, so it's no surprise that he's terrific after the catch. Coming right back with Omar Cooper Jr. after trading back into the first round suddenly one of the worst pass-catching groups in the NFL (if not the worst) turns into a promising unit. Cooper caught 13 touchdowns last season."
Grade: A-
"The Jets opted for the proven commodity off the edge rather than the "what-if" of Arvell Reese developing into a top-flight edge rusher, given his athletic and physical profile. Bailey is coming off consecutive seasons with 90.0-plus PFF grades, and his 79 pressures this past season ranked second among all FBS edge rushers, trailing only Rueben Bain Jr. Bailey adds an immediate speed element off the edge for Aaron Glenn's defense."
Grade: A-
"The Jets had a lot of draft capital to work with and Darren Mougey did a good job moving up and down the board. David Bailey gives them a consistently disruptive force for a defense that created such little chaos in 2024. Taking D'Angelo Ponds, a cornerback with ball skills, also meshed with turning their takeaway problem around.
Frank Reich needs to have the right plan for Kenyon Sadiq, but his athleticism and physicality are tantalizing. Omar Cooper thrived from the slot in 2025, but he averaged over 21 yards per catch in 2024 while playing most of his snaps on the outside."
See photos of the 2026 NFL Draft class, including Edge David Bailey (Texas Tech), TE Kenyon Sadiq (Oregon), WR Omar Cooper Jr. (Indiana), CB D'Angelo Ponds (Indiana), DT Darrell Jackson Jr. (Florida State), QB Cade Klubnik (Clemson), G Anez Cooper (Miami (FL)) and DB VJ Payne (Kansas State).
Grade: B+
"The Jets ended the David Bailey vs. Arvell Reese pre-draft debate by selecting Bailey, a Stanford grad who terrorized quarterbacks for Texas Tech last season with a quick first step and consistent effort. "Sadiq the Freak" was a solid mid-first round pick who could be a major mismatch for defenses if he becomes a consistent pass-catcher. Cooper was an excellent pick-up late in the first; giving a fifth-round pick to San Francisco to acquire his speed and strength after the catch was a bargain. Because the Jets moved up from Round 2 for Cooper and made an ill-fated trade of their third-round pick for Haason Reddick two years ago, their only Day 2 pick was Ponds, a small but feisty defender who could be an excellent fit in the slot or outside corner in the mold of his new head coach, Aaron Glenn."
Grade: B+
"Jets fans ought to have mixed feelings about how the first round unfolded. It started with a couple of iffy picks and closed with a bang.
Renner noted the Jets already have an edge defender with inconsistent run-stopping skills in Will McDonald IV, so adding another in David Bailey might not raise the defense's ceiling as much as some think. Kenyon Sadiq is also the second tight end the Jets have selected in as many years after taking Mason Taylor in the second round in 2025.
Trading up for a third first-round pick arguably saved the day. That Omar Cooper Jr. was still available at No. 30 was a blessing for the Jets in their search to stack offensive playmakers. Cooper was widely mocked in the upper half of the first round but instead found a home just before the end of Day 1 in New York, where he will be an immediate starter opposite Garrett Wilson."
Grade: B
"Trading back into the first round to have three cracks at the top 32, the Jets are ready to ascend. It is easy to gush about top pick David Bailey, whose burst and bend off the edge make him a strong candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year. I don't believe Kenyon Sadiq is going to make a splashy statistical contribution as a rookie, but I love the threat of his speed down the seam and his explosiveness as a blocker. I do love the addition of two champions from Indiana in wideout Omar Cooper Jr. and cornerback D'Angelo Ponds. Cooper might just become Geno Smith's favorite target as a rookie and Ponds might remind head coach Aaron Glenn of himself as an undersized but playmaking corner. I also like the fourth-round gamble on quarterback Cade Klubnik, who has a chance to make a case for himself as the long-term future quarterback without the pressure to perform immediately. With three first-round picks next year, as well, the Jets are well-positioned to address the QB position again should Smith and Klubnik not help the Jets take flight in 2026."
