Jets Increasingly Linked to 1 Player After Visit Cancellation

The New York Jets hold the No. 2 pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft scheduled to kick off from Pittsburgh one week from today on April 23.

Following a brutal season, the Jets have their pick of potential pass rushers and the team has been constantly linked to Texas Tech star David Bailey. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr has the Jets selecting Bailey in his latest mock draft, but there’s a close competition with one other player: Ohio State’s Arvell Reese.

While Bailey got the nod from Kiper, the longtime draft analyst admitted Reese has the potential to be the better player.

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It appears the Jets know that as well. On Wednesday news broke that the Jets canceled a 30 visit with Bailey, which sparked questions about the team’s interest in the FBS sack leader.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported, “Jets had all the information they already needed on DavidBailey; they felt there was no reason for a visit,” but that didn’t stop many from believing the team is preparing to select Reese.

After the Jets canceled their visit with Bailey, Kay Adams revealed, “Arvell Reese has pulled even with David Bailey as the co-favorite to be the #2 overall pick.”

The first round of the NFL draft, which will limit team to just eight minutes per selection rather than the traditional 10 minutes, kicks off on Thursday, April 23 at 8 p.m. ET.

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This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 10:20 AM.