Jets made three of ESPN's top-10 best selections in 2026 NFL Draft

Jets made three of ESPN's top-10 best selections in 2026 NFL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The New York Jets came into the 2026 NFL Draft with a ton of picks to select instant-impact players on both sides of the ball. That's exactly what they did.

It was a strong draft class, headlined by David Bailey with the No. 2 overall pick. But, beyond Bailey, the Jets made a ton of other nice selections.

ESPN's Matt Miller named his top-100 best picks from the 2026 NFL Draft, and for the Jets, three of their selections made the top-10 best picks in this year's class.

Jets have three of top-10 best picks in 2026 NFL Draft

"5. Omar Cooper Jr., WR, New York Jets (Pick 1-29). 6. David Bailey, Edge, New York Jets (Pick 1-2). 8. D'Angelo Ponds, CB, New York Jets (Pick 2-50)," Miller writes.

The Jets made three selections in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and two-thirds of those picks are among Miller's top-10 best picks in the entire draft. Only Kenyon Sadiq at No. 16 overall didn't make the cut.

Cooper was Miller's "favorite pick" made by the Jets, a team with plenty of names inside the top 100 overall.

They were able to wait until the end of Round 1 to take Cooper after a very cheap trade-up with the San Francisco 49ers that sent just a late fifth-rounder. Now, the Jets will have a fifth-year option for Cooper.

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