Who will the Jets pick between Arvell Reese and David Bailey at No. 2?

The Jets again find themselves picking from atop the draft after an unproductive first season for head coach Aaron Glenn. With the draft’s only blue-chip QB prospect in Fernando Mendoza likely off the board before their pick at No. 2, the Jets will ride Geno Smith’s reunion tour at least until next year’s more loaded QB class. Instead, the betting lines see the Jets choosing between two EDGE prospects who could be true difference makers on defense.

The former Lions DC and Pro Bowl cornerback, Glenn will be looking to reverse the fortunes of a defense that ranked 31st in points allowed per game (29.6) and failed to record a single interception. The Jets added safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and linebacker Kingsley Enegbare, but they still need an infusion of talent, and will want to add a foundational piece that can elevate the play of those around him. Here’s a look at the odds for the No. 2 pick right now, via FanDuel.

Arvell Reese (-185) is the favorite to be the first non-quarterback taken on draft night.

Reese’s traits and strengths project to transfer immediately at the pro level as either an edge rusher or an off-ball linebacker. He has the agility and speed to close in on pass catchers in space, and has a nose for the quarterback with multiple pass-rushing moves. He was a focal point of a historically great Ohio State defense last season, earning first-team All-American honors and being named a finalist for the Butkus Award (nation’s top linebacker), but his ultimate long-term upside might depend on finding a scheme that can make the most of his modern skill set.

In Reese, Glenn might have the instant impact player he needs to carve out a new defensive identity.

David Bailey (+140) is a powerful pass-rusher whom many see as the most sure-thing defensive prospect in the class, though his odds of going No. 2 have faded over the weekend.

Bailey is explosive off the line, with a knack for finishing plays, and the speed to consistently collapse the pocket and force QBs into bad decisions with rushed mechanics when he doesn’t get home. After three standout years at Stanford, Bailey transferred to Texas Tech and was immediately a first-team All American and finalist for the Lombardi Award (nation’s best lineman) while accumulating 14.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss.

Glenn may see Bailey as a bankable building block who can be the tone-setter on his defense for the next decade plus.

If the Jets trade out of the second pick, the team moving up is likely to be targeting a unique playmaker, which could lean toward Reese – or his Ohio State teammate Sonny Styles (+4500), who excelled at linebacker after entering college as a safety.

Another potential target could be Rueben Bain Jr. (+4500), who’s been in the news lately for a 2024 car crash that resulted in one person’s death, but more recently had been seen dominating the College Football Playoff and showing the type of gravity and game-changing impact that teams covet.
Based on pure talent, the pick could also go to Notre Dame Jeremiyah Love (+10000), whose college tape is reminiscent of Bijan Robinson, but Love is actually slightly taller and ran a faster 40 yard dash. Ty Simpson (+10000) might also be in play for a desperate team as the next-best quarterback prospect in the draft, though consensus boards have Simpson falling at least as far as the Jets’ next pick at No. 16.