While waiting to see what the New England Patriots do with their first-round pick, since they're not on the clock until No. 31, there is plenty to pay attention to for the fans in Foxboro. First on the docket is the Jets, who hold the second overall selection, and they just chose Texas Tech pass rusher David Bailey.
There was a strong belief that they would take a pass rusher with their first of two selections in the round, especially after they canceled another meeting with Bailey last week. But most analysts felt there was a chance it was a smokescreen for the person they really wanted: Arvell Reese.
The Ohio State star was the second-ranked player by Pro Football Focus of the entire 2026 class, and because the Jets had the first real pick of the draft, since the Raiders were long known to be taking a quarterback, it seemed fair to assume they'd take Reese.
But as we saw, they didn't follow the consensus and took the pass-rusher they believe is the better one right now, and most would agree that is Bailey.
At the same time, though, those same analysts projected Reese to have a higher ceiling, yet that didn't matter for the higher-ups in New York.
The Jets predictably go against the grain and don't pick the better pass rusher at No. 2
Although the arrival of Bailey means the Patriots have a new pass rusher to prepare for twice a season, it's possible he won't be as threatening as Reese would be in the long-term.
That's a huge win for New England, which wants to remain at the top of the division and continue its streak of sweeping the Jets every single year. It might be a little more difficult now, but it would likely be trickier if Reese were the pick instead.
On top of that, one of Bailey's biggest weaknesses was his ability to stop the run, and with the two -headed monster of TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson coming out of the Patriots' backfield, his skills will be tested early and often now that he's part of the AFC East.
This is a significant decision by the Jets that Patriots fans should be celebrating. It could have been a lot worse, and there's still a chance for it to trend that way with their second first-round pick. But for the time being, the Jets have Jetted, and that's always something to be happy about.
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