Rich Cimini
Multiple Authors
Two days earlier than the NFL draft, the New York Jets‘ choice with the second general selection remains to be shrouded in thriller. It’s anticipated to be both Ohio State‘s Arvell Reese or Texas Tech‘s David Bailey, whose scheduled top-30 visit final week was canceled by the Jets.
Don’t read something into that, in response to common supervisor Darren Mougey.
“In regard to David, we had good touch points with him at the combine, we went to his pro day, had a good dinner with him, and we were just kind of juggling our 30 [visits] and how to use them,” Mougey stated Tuesday at a predraft information convention. “I wouldn’t look too much into a cancellation because there was other ones that we may have changed as well.”
With Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza the presumptive first choose by the Las Vegas Raiders, the Jets do not should mission which gamers may be out there to them. It’s the benefit of selecting second, one thing the Jets have completed solely thrice of their historical past, most not too long ago 2021. That 12 months, they picked quarterback Zach Wilson.
“It’s a little different. It’s nice, right?” stated Mougey, getting ready for his second draft because the GM. “We think we know what’s going to happen at one. We have these pool of players and I’m like, ‘OK, let’s dive in.’ We know we’re going to get one of these players. So it’s good, but it hasn’t changed the process of diving into each guy and stacking them.”
The Jets are concentrating on one of many edge rushers, in response to sources. While they targeted on protection in free company, they’re nonetheless in search of a dynamic front-seven presence. Bailey led the FBS with 14.5 sacks. Reese recorded solely 6.5 sacks final season, partially, as a result of he performed a number of positions and had solely 97 pass-rushing alternatives.
The cancellation of Bailey’s visit fueled hypothesis that the Jets had settled on Reese. In truth, they already had sufficient data on Bailey, with Mougey noting they use the top-30 visits for a wide range of causes — medical checks, recruiting and a possibility for departments equivalent to sports activities efficiency to satisfy with sure prospects.
“Sometimes,” Mougey stated of the visits, “it’s a smokescreen.”
The Jets personal 4 of the highest 44 picks, together with two within the first spherical — No. 2 and No. 16. Perhaps the largest query is whether or not they may use No. 16 or No. 33 (first choose within the second spherical) on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.
The Jets despatched a contingent final month to Tuscaloosa to have dinner with Simpson and conduct a non-public exercise the next day. They got here away impressed with Simpson’s character and soccer intelligence, although there may be some concern with his lack of expertise (15 school begins). They had comparable interactions with different quarterbacks, together with Miami‘s Carson Beck.
Mougey stated they gave the quarterbacks data an evening earlier than testing them.
“Let’s see how much you can retain, let’s see how natural it is for you to talk football, let’s see if we connect in the room personality-wise,” he stated. “And we’ll go through that meeting in the room talking a lot of football, a little personal stuff, but a lot of their habits, just kind of really getting a feel for their football mind.”
