The Jets wanted immediate contributors in the NFL Draft. They found them. David Bailey, Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr. should all have roles in Week 1, if not starting.
This was another major step in Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey reshaping the Jets roster.
Bailey was the safest route the Jets could have gone at No. 2. He walks into the building as the team’s best pass rusher and there is a very real chance he’s a double-digit sack guy throughout the majority of his career. The Jets desperately need playmakers. They got a big one here.
There’s one reason this grade isn’t an A: Bailey, talking to multiple defensive coaches who scouted him extensively, does not play the run. There are concerns on whether he’ll ever be someone who can do that effectively. You need to protect him.
That’s not always an issue … except the Jets already have a player just like that in McDonald. His snap counts plummeted the second half of last season because he was such a liability against the run and the Jets seldom had leads to let him pin his ears back and attack.
It’s hard to foresee a situation where the Jets get Bailey and McDonald (whom they will pick up the fifth-year option on) on the field together on first or second down. Teams will just abuse stretch runs.
Granted, if Bailey is as dominant of a pass rusher as some believe, his ineffectiveness against the run won’t matter. It just seems like he was more of a risk as compared to Reese, who while developmental, can do much more.
The Jets believed there was a gap between receivers Carnell Tate (Titans), Jordyn Tyson (Saints) and the rest of the wideouts. That doesn't mean they won't add one later, but the value didn't match the 16th pick.
Get athletes on the field and let them feast. That's clearly the goal. Sadiq might be the most athletic player in this year's draft. Few that size (6-3, 241) run that fast (4.39 40-yard dash) and jump that high (43.5-inch vertical). The problem: Most analysts had a late first, second round grade on Sadiq. He's far from a polished player.
It will take time to develop Sadiq. The Jets might have a star on their hands if they do it correctly.
The Jets could have waited to see if Cooper fell to them with the first pick in the second round. It wasn't worth the risk. They parted with the 33rd pick, added in No. 179, and moved up to select the versatile wideout.
Cooper is primarily a slot wideout -- he played there almost exclusively in 2025. That's fine for the Jets. AD Mitchell is your prototypical, big-bodied wideout. Garrett Wilson, who does have inside flexibility, prefers to play outside. Now you give Geno Smith an impressive trio of pass catches, and a nice stable of tight ends (Kenyon Sadiq, Mason Taylor), to work with.
It's clear the Jets want to find their franchise quarterback in the 2027 draft. Their focus now is creating as ideal a situation for that young quarterback to find himself in. They're well on their way to doing that.
There's top-15 talent with Ponds. He's physical. Good in both man and zone. Can press. Really impressive ball skills. There's very little the corner can't do.
Ponds was there for the Jets with the 50th pick because he's 5-8 and 182pounds. That scares teams off.
Aaron Glenn, who enjoyed a very successful NFL career, was a 5-9. 185-pound corner. Height means very little to him. So it shouldn't come as much of a surprise me made Ponds the Jets' pick.
The Jets addressed the safety position leading into the draft, signing Dane Belton and trading for Minkah Fitzpatrick. They needed corners. They haven't yet replaced Sauce Gardner, and return just Brandon Stephens, AZ Thomas and Jarvis Brownlee.
Ponds will enter the room and instantly compete for a starting job.
Added benefit of the selection: The Jets moved back to get him. The Jets picked up an extra fourth-round pick (No. 128) to move from No. 44 to No. 50.
The Jets beefed up the interior of the defense in a big way on Day 3 of the draft. Jackson is 6-5, 315 pounds. Speaking to sources across the NFL, Jackson’s length makes him one of the better pass-rushing nose tackles in this year’s draft. Evident by his three sacks in 2022, and 3.5 in 2024.