Darren Mougey reveals why Jets cancelled Top 30 pre-draft visit with David Bailey

With just days to go until the 2026 NFL Draft, no one knows for sure who the New York Jets are taking at No. 2 overall.

At this point, everyone knows Fernando Mendoza is going No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, so the draft essentially starts with the Jets. But between Ohio State's Arvell Reese and Texas Tech's David Bailey, New York has a difficult decision on their hands.

Last week, it began to feel like the Jets were leaning in a certain direction. SNY's Connor Hughes reported that team brass had cancelled their Top 30 pre-draft visit with Bailey.

As that news broke, people were quick to assume one of two things.

One, the Jets have seen enough of Bailey this pre-draft process, and are confident in their evaluation. Or, they know he's not the pick.

But it seems like neither is the case.

Darren Mougey explains why Jets cancelled Top 30 meeting with David Bailey

In his pre-draft media appearance, Jets general manager Darren Mougey was asked why the team decided to cancel the Top 30 visit with Bailey.

"I would say for us, when we do Top 30s, every single player and case is different. Sometimes I want this player to meet with our player engagement department. Sometimes I want this player to meet with our sports performance. Sometimes it's purely medical. Sometimes it's a recruiting process. Sometimes it's a smoke screen. And in regards to David, we had good touch points with him at the (Scouting) Combine. We went to his Pro Day, had a good dinner with him. "

Darren Mougey

Mougey also added that fans shouldn't "look too much into a cancellation" because there may have been other ones in this process that people didn't know about.

In other words, Mougey is still doing a great job of keeping things under wraps heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, and he's not tipping his hand regarding who the Jets plan on picking.

It's all positive for the Jets; they're trying to maintain as much leverage as possible heading into Thursday night. They're not likely to find a trade partner, but keeping things murky at No. 2 keeps every other team on their toes about how the board will shake out.

As things stand on Tuesday morning, Reese seems to be the slight favorite, so maybe the Bailey cancellation meant more than Mougey let on at his press conference.

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