If all the mock drafts get it right and QB Fernando Mendoza goes to Las Vegas as the No. 1 overall selection in the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh next week, there was question for a while whether the next three teams -- the Jets, Arizona and Tennessee -- would opt to strengthen their pass rush by selecting an elite edge player.
Most pundits believe the Jets selection at No. 2 will come down to Arvell Reese or David Bailey. Miami edge Ruben Bain is also one of the top pass-rushing prospects in this class. On April 12, Ollie Connolly posted on social media about a March 2024 crash in Miami when Bain was cited for careless driving. After the incident, a 22-year-old student was left in a coma and died three months later. Bain was reportedly cited for careless driving, but the charge was dismissed.
Each of those players would help the Green & White improve on the defense's 26 sacks last season, and the discussion of which one would be a better fit has unfolded over the past few months. And if GM Darren Mougey and HC Aaron Glenn have a preference, they've held it close to the vest.
Reid, however, doesn't have that responsibility and flipped from Bain, Jr. to Reese in a recent mock draft. In the parlance of aviation -- Wheels Up and Wheels Down -- and Reese is ready for takeoff.
Arvell Reese: 'That Jack-of-All-Trades Player'
"I mean, you talk about somebody at 6-5, 244, pounds, he was everything for that Ohio State defense this past season," Reid said.
For the Buckeyes last season, Reese amassed 69 tackles (34 solo), 10 TFL, 6.5 sacks and 2 passes defended in his third and final season for Ohio State.
"You could put him at off-ball linebacker," Reid said. "You could put him at edge rusher. He's that jack-of-all-trades player that you can use on the second or even the first level as well. I really love how [DC] Matt Patricia used him this last season. He was able to utilize all those tools that he has. So for Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn, I think they're going to fall in love with the skill set of what he has presently, but also what he can be in the future."
David Bailey: 'The Production Speaks for Itself'
In his only season at Texas Tech (after three at Stanford), Bailey jumped into the conversation at the top of the draft when he checked in with 52 tackles (32 solo), but an eye-popping 19.5 TFL, 14.5 sacks, plus 3 passes defended, 3 forced fumbles and 1 recovery.
"From just a pass rush perspective, he obviously is the most productive," Reid said. "And you talk about explosiveness out of the starting blocks, I think he's clearly better than the other two in that facet. He still needs to improve a little bit as far as consistency as a run defender. But I mean, 14-and-a-half sacks last year -- the production speaks for itself, 19-and-a-half tackles for loss this past season as well.
"So he's able to get after the quarterback, but he doesn't only create pressure. There's a lot of other things that he can do as well. That's why I think if they want somebody that can contribute right away, as far as being a 10-plus sack guy, even early on as a rookie, I think David Bailey can be that right away."
Check out photos of every player that the NFL draft experts in the media have mocked to the Jets during the 2026 offseason.
LB Arvell Reese – Ohio State
QB Ty Simpson – Alabama
S Caleb Downs – Ohio State
WR Makai Lemon – USC
WR Omar Cooper Jr. – Indiana
Edge Akheem Mesidor – Miami
CB Keith Abney II – Arizona State
CB Colton Hood – Tennessee
OT Caleb Lomu – Utah
DT Caleb Banks – Florida
WR Malachi Fields – Notre Dame
LB Anthony Hill Jr. – Texas
Edge Rueben Bain Jr. – Miami (FL)
DL Lee Hunter – Texas Tech
DT Peter Woods - Clemson
S A.J. Haulcy – LSU
LB C.J. Allen – Georgia
CB Avieon Terrell – Clemson
CB Jermod McCoy – Tennessee
Edge David Bailey – Texas Tech
TE John Michael Gyllenborg - Wyoming
CB Daylen Everette – Georgia
Edge Zion Young – Missouri
WR Denzel Boston – Washington
CB Brandon Cisse – South Carolina
DL Kayden McDonald - Ohio State
CB Chris Johnson – San Diego State
WR Jordyn Tyson – Arizona State
OL Olaivavega Ioane – Penn State
TE Kenyon Sadiq - Oregon
Reuben Bain: 'The Best Pass Rusher'
Bain helped Miami to the National Championship game chipping in with 54 tackles (30 solo), 15.5 TFL, 9.5 sacks, an INT and a pass defended. But could he slip on Day 1 due to an off-the-field incident?
"There's more question marks with him, just because of the arm length," Reid said prior to the elevated public discussion about Bain this week following Connolly's report. "And then he's just not as crafty of a pass rusher, like a David Bailey. But I think he's more versatile than the other two from a run-game perspective, and then also how he does rush the passer. But I think it's going to be between David Bailey and Arvell Reese at the top of the draft. I still believe that Rueben Bain is the best edge rusher in this year's draft, just because I have David Bailey as an off-ball linebacker, that's where I believe he should start out. But Rueben Bain, if they do select him at 2, I'm not going to blink an eye or complain in all honesty."
