Jets reporter's Arvell Reese prediction changes No. 2 pick debate yet again

The New York Jets have ignited quite a debate firestorm in the last few weeks, as there appears to be some genuine debate between picking either Ohio State's Arvell Reese or Texas Tech's David Bailey with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

There has been a schism formed between the national and local media. The former seems to believe that Bailey is as locked in as possible, while the latter thinks that Reese remains a slight favorite. The latest rumors from the local beat suggest that Reese and Bailey are still very much in a near-even, hotly contested debate.

Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic said that if the Jets remain at No. 2 overall and don't trade down, there is a 55 percent chance they select Reese and a 40 percent chance they select Bailey. The remaining percentage was metered out to longshots like Sonny Styles or Carnell Tate.

Rosenblatt is quick to point out that by this time in the 2024 and 2025 Drafts, the Jets were locked in on tight ends Brock Bowers and Tyler Warren, respectively, before selecting Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou. Could some similar misdirection be in the cards once again?

Zack Rosenblatt says Arvell Reese still favorite for Jets at No. 2 overall

What makes this debate so difficult is the fact that both Reese and Bailey are supreme athletes with tremendous explosion off the snap. The winner may be the one who sells the Jets on their long-term plan, and both have very different appeals in the long-term.

Reese will need to switch positions on the fly and prove he is not just a one-hit wonder, while Bailey has multiple years of proven production, capped off by an All-American season in which he led the country in sacks with 14.5 in his lone Red Raiders season.

On the flip side, Bailey profiles as a much worse defender against the run, and Reese's boundless athletic upside suggests that the right coaching staff could turn him into an All-Pro player in the Micah Parsons mold once they give him a few years of full-time edge training.

The Jets might be angling for a trade down, and there is assuredly some truth to the idea that they like Bailey a lot as a prospect, but the local reporters seem to be standing strong in their belief that Reese is very much in play with the No. 2 pick.

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