Bills division rival 2026 draft analysis: New York Jets

Q: Who did the New York Jets draft in the 2026 NFL Draft?

The New York Jets drafted David Bailey second overall, along with several other key players to enhance their roster.

Q: What was the Jets' overall performance in the 2025 season?

The Jets finished with a poor record in 2025, leading them to secure the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Q: What trades did the Jets make before the 2026 NFL Draft?

The Jets traded away players like Sauce Gardner, Quinnen Williams, and Jermaine Johnson for additional draft picks.

Q: How did David Bailey perform in college before being drafted?

David Bailey was a powerful outside speed rusher who excelled against NFL-draft eligible tackles in 2025.

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 23: David Bailey of Texas Tech poses for a photo after being selected second overall by the New York Jets during Round One of the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium on April 23, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images) | Getty Images The New York Jets were really, really bad in 2025 and finished with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Second-year GM Darren Mougey has started his tenure in East Rutherford, New Jersey with darn-good process, trading away the likes of Sauce Gardner, Quinnen Williams, and Jermaine Johnson for draft picks — in the case of Johnson, for nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat — and made three first-round picks in this year’s draft. Here’s a rundown of their 2026 rookie class. Here’s the New England Patriots version of this article **David Bailey, EDGE, Jets** The Jets had a challenging decision to make at No. 2 overall — and I genuinely believe they made the right one with Bailey over Arvell Reese. Bailey is a relentless and powerful outside speed rusher who destroyed all of the NFL-draft eligible tackles he faced in 2025. He may not have All-Pro upside, yet his floor feels extremely high. **Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Dolphins** Sadiq is one of the most athletically gifted tight ends to enter the NFL in the past 20 years. My comparison for him was . While I don’t expect him to command targets like did as a rookie two years ago, there’s a complete skill set with this tight end — he’s a monster after the catch, can separate, and while not enormously powerful, gets after it on a regular basis as a blocker. **Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana** I liked Cooper Jr.‘s game, especially because I probably emphasize YAC more than other draft analysts. He’s a good, not amazing separator and has strong, reliable hands in traffic. Like Bailey, I’m not sure if Cooper Jr. will ever be considered one of the truly elite players at the position. I’ll be shocked if he isn’t a steady contributor. And no, I don’t think the Jets jumped the Bills to from them. **DeAngelo Ponds, CB, Indiana** If Ponds was like one or two inches taller and had 10-15 more pounds on his frame, he absolutely would’ve been a first-round pick. His film was that sensational at Indiana, and he looked impossibly twitchy with spectacular range and ball skills. Then he jumped 43 1/2” at the combine in the vertical and ran in the low 4.3s at the Indiana Pro Day. He’s a nasty tackler too. Loved this pick. **, DT, Florida** Jackson Jr. was the hulking nose tackle type many Bills fans believed Brandon Beane would target in the early-to-mid rounds of his draft. Heck, maybe he did but just couldn’t land the nose tackle he wanted. We’ll probably never know. Jackson Jr. is one of those “first guy off the bus” types on the interior with a sculpted, lengthy frame and stars as a run defender. He left a lot to be desired as a pass rusher. **, QB, Clemson** The experience of watching Klubnik as a college football fan in the fall to evaluating him as a draft prospect were noticeably different. As I honed in on the details of his skill set as a quarterback in February, I liked much more than I expected I would after watching a large portion of his Clemson career. He has a strong arm, moves naturally away from pressure in the pocket — he’s just a bit scattershot with his accuracy and takes far too many risks. For a team that clearly does not have its quarterback of the future on the roster, I didn’t hate this selection. **Anez Cooper, OG, ** The Miami offensive line was ridiculously large across the board — Cooper was over 6’5” and 347 pounds with offensive tackle length at right guard. And he plays precisely as expected, as a mauler. In Round 6, the Jets could’ve done much worse along the offensive line than Cooper. **VJ Payne, S, Kansas State** Payne’s production analytics, and especially his workout, were excellent. I didn’t adore his film, so he was one of the prospects that the numbers were more impressive than what I observed on the field. Infamously, the Jets did not record a single interception during the 2025 season — a feat that felt impossible in the modern day — so adding an athletic defensive back with the last pick was sensible.