ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. grades Jets' 2026 NFL Draft

TL;DR

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. awarded the New York Jets an A-minus grade for their performance in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Jets selected three first-round players, including pass rusher David Bailey and tight end Kenyon Sadiq.

Key points

Mel Kiper Jr. graded the Jets' 2026 NFL Draft performance.
The Jets selected three first-round players.
Kiper awarded the Jets an A-minus grade.
Only four teams ranked higher than the Jets.
The Jets' first-round picks included David Bailey and Kenyon Sadiq.

Mel Kiper Jr.New York JetsDavid BaileyKenyon Sadiq

The New York Jets earned praise from ESPN NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. following the 2026 NFL Draft.

The Jets made three picks in the first round of this year's draft, adding pass rusher David Bailey, tight end Kenyon Sadiq and finishing with receiver Omar Cooper Jr. after a trade up.

In the end, Kiper gave the Jets a grade of A-minus for their overall haul at the draft. Only four teams ranked ahead of Gang Green in Kiper's grades.

Kiper's full breakdown can be found below:

Let's flash back to 2022, when the Jets had two picks in Round 1 and ended up making three selections -- Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson and Jermaine Johnson. Only one of those players is still with the team, and one of them was actually traded for one of the Jets' first-rounders this year, but we're running it back. New York added three playmakers on Day 1, starting with David Bailey.

I made the case that this should have been Arvell Reese because of his high upside. But Bailey brings tangible production to the table, having led the nation in pressure rate (20.4%) en route to 14.5 sacks -- which also tied for the most among all FBS players. He's a bendy 251-pounder with 4.5 speed that allows him to get on top of QBs quickly. Johnson is now, so the Jets needed a real presence opposite . They were 31st in sacks last season with 26.