I’m no college ball expert, but it kind of feels like there are three good options here, and whomever we choose here is going to be a huge upgrade for us…and then of course Mougey may surprise and maybe there is a trade down too…who knows?
I think ILB is an underrated need. I'm excited about Demario Davis, but he is 37. And do we trust Sherwood to bounce back, especially as a 3-4 ILB? Still seems like a trade candidate (to Tennessee) to me. Could see Kiko as an early-down rotational player and apparently Mykal Walker impressed in limited defensive snaps, but that's probably depth. Looks like there could be a lot of good talent and value in the 2nd (Jacob Rodriguez, CJ Allen, Jake Golday, Anthony Hill)
Looking at the draft, it feels there are 9 blue chip prospects, basically where vast majority agrees they are can't/hard to miss prospects: https://www.nflmockdraftdatabase.com/big-boards/2026/consensus-big-board-2026 These are the blue chipers: Mendoza, Reese, Bailey, Love, Mauigoa, Styles, Bain, Tate, and Downs. If one of them in the position of need slides a bit where it would not require too much to trade up, I would consider. Tate, Bain, Downs for example. But if they are all gone, we are looking at Lemon, Tyson, Ioane, Fano, Sadiq. Simpson could be in play too I suppose, though I hope we end up with one for the blue chipers or Lemon, since we need WR so bad. Maybe even Tyson, but worried about medicals there.
Got it, now you are now telling me that spending a premium pick on an off-ball LB that can also play edge, potentially developing in the mold of Micah Parson or Von Miller as in the case of Reese is not a premium position.
Parsons is a pass rusher and that’s a premium position. If Reese is a pass rusher, then that’s a premium position. If Reese is going to be an off ball LB then it is not. Really not difficult
Man the more I watch Reese to me he's the obvious pick. It's not being talked about how big and strong he is. I think our defense needs that so bad, we have had safeties playing linebacker and edge rushers like McDonald that get plowed over in the run game. To just have a guy like Reese who is so freakin physical, it seems like a no brainer pick to me. Then I find out Reese is only 20 years old. You have people on here bitching about his "numbers" but they are bitching about a 19 year old's numbers, like give me a break. If he was one of these guys that was a 25 year old "graduate student" on his 4th college like yeah he'd have numbers but is that really better, going forward, than a guy who was so good at 20 years old he was a consensus All American and Big 10 linebacker of the Year? no way
Yeah, at this point it is clear, if we stay at 2, Reese has to be the pick. The only way I would draft someone else is if we can get a 1st round pack in 2027 to move back and still end up with Bain or Bailey. But that's very unlikely. Reese at 2 should be all but locked in at this point.
Here here! For as PUTRID as the NY Jets run defense as been, well, for a damn long time, ILB SHOULD be a position of need. I mean, damn. Watching these RB's tear us a new asshole, every single play, up the gut is long past tired. So, go ahead and focus ONLY on edge while teams hand off to mid-tier RB's as they dance up and down the field. Saleh was victim of this as well, tbh. In fact, even in San Fran prior to him coming to us AND last year, the 49'ers were shit against the run. It's why Seattle stomped on them. I don't care if we are in a "passing league" this day and age. RB is slowly but surely becoming in "vogue" again and the Jets aren't in the conversation when it comes to stopping the run. They MUST be. Hell, it was Parcells #1 mantra; stop the run and run the ball. It all starts there. So, for those that keep minimizing the supposed non-premium positions...pound sand.
Yeah it sure feels like Reese is the pick at 2…but if some small trade down materializes and we can still walk away with any of those blue chippers since they pretty much all fill a need, that wouldn’t be terrible either. I’m very curious as to how Mougey is going to play this…
I tried a couple of times to make the point about just comparing stats. Bailey in his second year had 1 less sack than Reese in his first attempt at edge in his second year. Where will he be as an Edge rusher and off ball lb at year 4?
One of our top 3 picks needs to be Ty Simpson. F nexts years class Ty is the truth. Our franchise will finally start to turn around with Ty as are franchise qb. Please jets don’t f this up.
IMO Reese has already shown his ability to play the run tough and has powerful and violent hands to against OL. He can be our all-down ILB that can set the edge and rush the passer at any position. I’m sold.
I don’t think Reese has to be the pick at all. Bailey is the better pass rusher out of the 3 being considered with his variety of moves, nuclear first step and FBI setting up tackles. Bain is the biggest, most dominant and has the best performance on the biggest stage. Reese is the most athletic, youngest with the highest ceiling. Reese on film was a splash play player. He was in my opinion the 3rd best player on his team D behind Downs and Styles. The kid goes to sleep in games and is not noticeable until he runs down a RB from across the field and then you see the upside. For me it’s too much to gamble on a kid when you have a freaky stud with all the production right there. Like I said before I think Bailey is the pick. Glenn won’t gamble on potential when his ass is on the hot seat. If Bains arms were 2” longer he would have been the pick. If Reese was more experienced edge rusher he could have been the pick. Bailey for me is almost as freaky as Reese athletically but has all the moves, the FBI and the experience playing off the edge. I’d be surprised if he’s not the pick.
I respect your opinion on all things draft but I don't understand how you could be surprised when the player that gets picked has been described multiple times almost to a T by our head coach who will also be calling the defense. There's a lot of Bailey smoke happening right now but I do think it's smoke. There's no way you can talk about how you want to run this hybrid defense with guys lining up all over the place and pressure coming from different positions and then draft the guy that only rushes off the edge and is a negative in the run game.
I really can't find anything all that negative being said about Reese, and if he lives up to 3/4s of the hype then he'd probably be worth the pick. My main concern now is the risk due to unknowns based on his lack of exposure: can he stay healthy as a long term starter, can he be the premier player on a defense without a team full of lopsided talent around him. Also, if Glenn gets fired can he easily fit into a radically different defense? If the answer to that one is better than a standard EDGE then he's the better pick. Still think we're missing the boat on Downs, and Sonny Styles looks like Brian Urlacher to me. Both of those guys can grow up to call a defense.
Totally agree on Styles and Downs. Throwing Bain in there too. This is the NY, Football, Jets. I believe, nay, I expect them to Fuck this up colossally. Whomever they pick you can damn near write it down the other two will turn out to be all pros with one golden jacket discussion in the mix. Meanwhile, whomever the Jets draft will either be oft injured, traded before the 4th year, no 5th year option being picked up or an outright bust. It IS our history and it’s 70% likely to happen. Sorry folks, came to my senses last night and realized I was sitting directly in our annual “pre-draft hope fest” along with our annual “winning of the off season” modus operandi.
Very possible, but Mooge did all right with our top picks last year. Hoping that will continue. We disparately need it.
