The NFL Draft is next week. As we close in on the main event, ESPN’s Mel Kiper has posted a new mock draft. Kiper has the Jets making a consensus choice second overall but moves in an unexpected direction with pick 16.
I get the sense the Jets will take production over potential here in the great Bailey vs. Arvell Reese debate. New York was 31st in sacks last season with 26. It was 27th in pressure rate at 28.8%. Something has to change, and bringing in a player who led the FBS in pressure rate (20.2%) and tied for the lead in sacks (14.5) last season could do the trick. Bailey would be an instant-impact player off the edge for the Jets.
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New York Jets (via IND): Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana
After going defense at No. 2 with David Bailey, the Jets should take a look at the receiver class at No. 16. Just look at the depth chart. There’s Garrett Wilson (coming off a knee injury) and then … Adonai Mitchell? Isaiah Williams? No one on this team hit 400 receiving yards last season, and the Jets still haven’t added another receiver this spring. It won’t matter if it’s Geno Smith, Ty Simpson or Joe Namath under center if the Jets can’t find more pass-catching threats. Cooper had 937 yards and 13 touchdowns last season.
I don’t think many people would be shocked if the Jets selected Bailey. He and Arvell Reese and far and away the two most likely choices at 2.
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Cooper, however, is a different story. While there has been extensive buzz about the Jets potentially taking a receiver at 16, the names that most frequently come up are Makai Lemon and Jordyn Tyson. Sometimes a player has a late rise in the process. Could Cooper be that guy in 2026? We will know in less than a week.
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