The New York Jets The New York Jets went into the 2026 NFL Draft with nine picks to make, including two picks in the first 16 selections as they seek to improve off a 3-14 season. After New York traded away cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams during the season, the Jets are now in a full-scale rebuild that will hopefully turn them into a winner soon enough.
Coming into the draft, the Jets had plenty of needs to address, including wide receiver, offensive line, and in the secondary along with just accumulating more talent in general. New York made various moves this offseason, including signing quarterback Geno Smith, as the team looks to create a culture that head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey can take to new heights.
The Jets are not expected to take their franchise quarterback in this draft given that they were going to miss out on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, but next year's class is headlined by Texas signal-caller Arch Manning. With that being said, the Jets took Texas Tech EDGE David Bailey with the second overall pick so here are some of his highlights:
The Jets select David Bailey second overall ✈️ pic.twitter.com/QJ3Ty0zK0F
.@nyjets take edge phenom; David Bailey, from @TexasTechFB to help build this defense into an AFC Powerhouse...Jets need takeaways and splash defensive plays...exactly what Bailey has done in CFB with 10 Forced Fumbles #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/1F9wpRO2us
David Bailey 52 Tackles, 14.5 Sacks, 3 FF, 1 FR 2025 Season Highlights.pic.twitter.com/0YuShppiiP https://t.co/SvmtY9FxFC
— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) February 19, 2026
The difference between David Bailey and Arvell Reese is found in the details and the all-around game. There's only one EDGE choice for the New York #Jets at No. 2. pic.twitter.com/7DeGcrfaj7
Look at the lateral quickness difference between Romello Height (right) vs David Bailey (left) pic.twitter.com/Tb97wRLOfu
This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Highlights of Jets' No. 2 pick at 2026 NFL Draft: ED David Bailey