New York Jets' NFL Draft Plans Just Took a Wild Turn

The New York Jets own the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft, and with no quarterbacks worth selecting at that spot, the general consensus has long been that the Jets will take an edge rusher.

Ohio State's Arvell Reese, Texas Tech's David Bailey and Miami's Rueben Bain have all been linked to New York, which made even more sense once the Jets traded away Jermaine Johnson.

But then, New York signed a pair of edge rushers on Day 1 of free agency, adding Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare.

Neither player is a game-wrecker, but it's also important to remember that the Jets still have Will McDonald, who finished with eight sacks this past season and racked up 10.5 sacks in 2024.

So, have the Jets' NFL Draft plans just drastically changed? Is it possible that an edge rusher is no longer in play at No. 2?

Here's what we need to remember: this draft class is very deep at edge rusher, and with New York boasting four picks in the first two rounds, it can always circle back around and take one at No. 16 or on Day 2.

I've been on record saying that I am not the biggest fan of Reese anyway, and while I really like both Bailey and Bain, it may no longer be necessary for the Jets to nab any of those players with their top draft choice.

In fact, Gang Green can now really consider trading down and stockpiling even more draft capital to fill out the rest of the roster.

Even after a busy first day in free agency, New York still has needs all over the place, so the more picks it has at its disposal next month, the better.

Don't get me wrong: it's still entirely possible that the Jets will take one of the top edge rushers with the second overall selection. Again, neither Ossai or Enagbare are stars. Ossai amassed 14.5 sacks in four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. Enagbare totaled 11.5 across four years with the Green Bay Packers.

But the Jets paid good money ($36 million over three years) for Ossai, and they handed a one-year, $10 million deal to Enagbare. That's a decent amount of cash, so you can bet New York will be utilizing both players in 2026.

It will certainly be interesting to see how the Jets proceed, but there is no question their draft strategy may have just been altered.

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