Apr 24, 2026 - 04:15
By espn.com

Jets select David Bailey, Kenyon Sadiq, Omar Cooper in NFL draft - ESPN

The New York Jets opted for production over potential, selecting Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey with the second pick Thursday night in the NFL draft.

Bailey, arguably the top pass rusher in college football last season, got the nod over Ohio State linebacker/edge rusher Arvell Reese, a hybrid player with big upside. For weeks, draftniks debated between Bailey and Reese, fueling intense speculation.

Reese was later selected by the New York Giants with the No. 5 pick.

With the No. 16 pick, the Jets selected a pass catcher, but at tight end instead of wide receiver in Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq, who had 51 receptions for 560 yards and eight touchdowns last season.

The Jets still got their wide receiver, trading up to No. 30 to select Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. The Jets traded pick No. 33 and a fifth-round selection (No. 179) to the San Francisco 49ers. Cooper had 69 catches for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns as quarterback Fernando Mendoza's top receiver last season.

Bailey never took a top-30 visit to the Jets, who cancelled the scheduled meeting — a move that fueled rampant speculation about their interest in him. Bailey said he didn't read too much into it.

«I mean, I didn't know if it was an unusual thing to do, but I was still confident in the interactions that I had with them at the combine,» he told reporters after being selected. «I felt good with them. And then also we had a dinner back in Lubbock [Texas] after my pro day, so I still felt good with the prior conversations. I know they, for whatever reason, they had their reasons [cancelling the visit]. So I was just trusting my agent and