Jets chance to jump-start rebuild in NFL draft is finally here with No. 2 pick still in limbo
It has felt like the Jets have been on the clock since the afternoon of Nov.4.That is the day general manager Darren Mougey traded stars Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams to the Colts and Cowboys, respectively.
In return, the Jets received first- and second-round picks this year as well as two more first-rounders in 2027.Despite Mougey saying it was not a “teardown” that day, it was clear the Jets were in full rebuild mode.The rest of the 2025 season felt like a meaningless march toward the offseason.
Jets fans had their eyes on this draft before the Thanksgiving turkey was carved or Christmas stockings were hung.Text with Brian Costello all season as he brings Sports+ subscribers the latest Jets intel from on the field and off.
After months of mock drafts, it is finally here.Mougey and the Jets have the Nos.2 and 16 overall picks in Thursday’s first round as well as Nos.
33 and 44 in Friday’s second round.It is a chance for Mougey to reshape the roster and turn a 3-14 laughingstock into a respectable franchise again.“I believe we can be competitive and respectable right away, next year,” Mougey said after the 2025 season ended.That process can either get jump-started over these next two days or hindered if they don’t draft well.The expectation for months has been that the Raiders will select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza at No.
1 overall.Then, it’s the Jets’ turn.The decision is believed to be between Ohio State’s Arvell Reese and Texas Tech’s David Bailey.
No one seems to know which way the Jets are leaning.The favorite in Vegas has bounced back and forth between the two players and some draft gurus have flip-flopped as well.Reese is considered to have the higher ceiling while Bailey is viewed as a more known quantity since Reese is expected to move from off-ball linebacker to edge rusher, a position Bailey excelled at last season.One piece of information that is a possible clue or potentially nothing is that the Jets cancel...