The New York Jets have been rumored to select either Ohio State’s Arvell Reese or Texas Tech’s David Bailey with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, so when the club canceled last week’s top-30 meeting with Bailey, it led to more speculation that Reese would be selected.
Jets general manager Darren Mougey confirmed Tuesday that the team had canceled its meeting with Bailey, but cautioned against speculation about what that meant.
“We had good points of contact with (Bailey) at the Combine,” Mougey told reporters. “We went to his pro day, had a nice dinner with him. We were just thinking about our 30 (visits) and how to use them.
“I wouldn’t look at too many cancellations because there were others we could have changed as well.
As Mougey further pointed out, teams don’t need to take players in the top 30 visits before drafting them, especially after meeting with Bailey beforehand. Almost every team that has picked in the top three overall in recent years has had the player they would ultimately select visit in the top-30, but it wouldn’t be unusual not to.
The timing of the cancellation is what drew some attention, as the report that the Jets would not be bringing Bailey in came just before the end of the window for pre-draft visits. But Mougey never confirmed when Bailey’s meeting was to take place.
The Jets will pick second and sixteenth overall in Thursday’s first round. They are slated to begin Day 2 of the NFL Draft with the 33rd overall pick.
Reese appears to be the favorite for the Jets at No. 2, but Mougey did his best Monday to suggest Bailey remains a possibility.