2026 NFL draft: NFL.com mock has new pick for Jets at No. 2 overall

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NFL.com released an early offseason mock for the upcoming 2026 draft and another new name has been offered at the No 2 selection held by the New York Jets.

With no clear-cut quarterback option for the New York Jets at the second pick, a defender could be the best option for a team that traded two star defenders last season in Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams.

Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese is the most-popular projected player to head to New York via that second slot, but a recent NFL.com mock draft makes the case for David Bailey.

The pass rusher from Texas Tech is the first Round 1 selection by the Jets in the recent predictions from the outlet. The Green and White also hold the No. 16 pick in Round 1 as well.

Here are the breakdowns for the Jets two first round picks in NFL.com's latest 2026 mock:

Round 1, pick No. 2: Texas Tech EDGE David Bailey​

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While the No. 1 overall pick's essentially a foregone conclusion, No. 2 is anything but. That said, this explosive edge rusher presumably will receive serious consideration. In Aaron Glenn’s debut season as head coach, the Jets finished 31st in sacks with just 26, the franchise’s lowest total of this millennium. Meanwhile, Bailey just tied for the FBS lead with 14.5 sacks.

Round 1, pick 16: USC WR Makai Lemon​

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Lemon has drawn a lot of comparisons to fellow USC product Amon-Ra St. Brown, someone Aaron Glenn is quite familiar with. St. Brown, of course, has served as one of the true culture-setters in Detroit’s inspiring rise from decades of despair. Glenn’s trying to replicate that transformation with the long-suffering Jets, so it tracks that he'd grab a hard-nosed playmaker to complement talented WR1 Garrett Wilson.

This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: 2026 NFL draft: NFL.com mock has new pick for Jets at No. 2 overall

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