What the Jets could do at edge rusher in the 2026 NFL Draft

This is one of the Jets’ biggest needs, and the expectation is they are going to fill it quickly.

They have been projected for a while now to take either Ohio State’s Arvell Reese or Texas Tech’s David Bailey with the No. 2 pick.

Reese is a projection since he played mostly off-ball linebacker for the Buckeyes, but he is viewed as the player with the highest upside.

Texas Tech linebacker David Bailey attends the school’s NFL football pro day, Thursday, March 26, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. AP

Bailey had 14.5 sacks for the Red Raiders, so he is the more productive player.

The Jets are thin at this position after trading Jermaine Johnson and letting Micheal Clemons leave in free agency, so they could double dip here and draft another edge rusher late to provide some depth.