The New York Jets, holding the No. 2 overall pick, seem like they know what they want to do with it. Aaron Glenn has made it clear that for the Jets to be the team he wants them to be, it’ll start on the defensive side of the football. The trade deadline last season showed that this is all about finding an identity.
According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, the pick is rather obvious. There’s a sense that Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese will be who the Jets take at No. 2. Darren Mougey said that the team hasn’t made a decision yet, but Reese seems to be the guy, per Cimini.
“General manager Darren Mougey said they haven't identified that player yet. After listening to Glenn, then gathering a few crumbs at the NFL spring meetings in Phoenix, it feels like Ohio State's Arvell Reese is the best fit. A couple of comments from Glenn jumped out. Discussing his plans for a revamped defensive scheme, he confirmed that he's planning to employ multiple fronts, including a new 3-4 look.
“He said they will use "a little bit of everything," which requires players with scheme flexibility. One of Reese's strengths is his ability to play multiple spots. In his final season at Ohio State, he played 238 snaps as an inside (off-ball) linebacker and 356 as an outside linebacker. Glenn could use him as a chess piece, moving him around to keep the offense guessing -- seemingly an ideal fit in a hybrid scheme,” he wrote.
Reese showed during his time at Ohio State that he can be among the best defenders in the world at any given moment. A lot of Jets fans want to find more offensive talent, but when a possible generational defensive guy is starting New York in its face, it is tough to go in any other direction.
Not to say that Reese is going to come in and be the best player in the league, but he has a real chance to be dominant in the future and there’s something to be said about that off the edge.