Jets selecting David Bailey would be an incredibly redundant draft pick

The New York Jets have been linked to just about every top prospect at the top of the 2026 NFL Draft, due to the fact that it all starts with them. Fernando Mendoza is all but penciled in as the No. 1 overall pick, and New York will have their pick of the litter at No. 2.

Texas Tech's David Bailey is a popular mock draft pick to the Jets, projected to be selected at No. 2 by top insiders such as ESPN's Peter Schrager and NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah.

Bailey is a polished player. The case can be made that he has the highest chance of being a Day 1 difference-maker among all the other defenders in the incoming class. He was college football's sack leader in 2025, bringing the quarterback down 14.5 times.

But is the Red Raider the right fit for the Jets? Despite his obvious talent, his skillset may be a tad redundant considering some of the other players New York has on its roster.

Jets already have a speed rusher in Will McDonald IV & don't need David Bailey

The Jets certainly need pass rushers. They shipped out Jermaine Johnson earlier in the offseason and added rotational edge players in free agency with Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare. Each player has a different skill set that New York will be able to utilize.

2023 first-round pick Will McDonald IV is coming off a down year, but still seems like a player the Jets intend on developing. Darren Mougey said the team is planning on picking up his fifth-year option. His skillset is similar to Bailey's: he's somewhat of a one-dimensional pass rusher and struggles with stopping the run.

If the Jets draft Bailey at No. 2, that would give them two edge rushers who, yes, can get after the quarterback, but will also be a liability in run defense. It doesn't sound like the best allocation of resources.

Maybe the Jets do want two guys who have the ability to come screaming off the edge, and hope their interior defensive line is beefy enough to solve their run defense woes from 2025.

We won't know for sure until draft day rolls around, but it's safe to say at minimum that the Jets will be looking to target a defensive player with that No. 2 overall pick. The question remains, who?