The 2026 NFL draft’s top edge rusher conundrum isn’t solved yet. Prominent NFL mock draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. initially put Arvell Reese as his top edge. He switched him to Caleb Downs come February, and has now put Texas Tech’s David Bailey in his place. With all three players possessing elite skills, it becomes hard to single out a player. But that’s where Ohio State’s 2002 natty-winning linebacker lends advice for the team with the 2nd overall pick.

“People are talking about position value. It seems like they’re giving more position value to David Bailey because he plays a true edge,” Bobby Carpenter said on March 20. “But it seems to me that Arvell still can do that. That’s just what you want him to do. I think that he would be just as good, if not better than, David Bailey. Possibly.”

The doubts around Arvell Reese’s true edge-rusher potential stem from his inexperience at the position. Reese started his college career at linebacker, and he accumulated 112 tackles, 7 sacks, and 2 pass breakups in just two years of starts. David Bailey, on the contrary, played more of an edge rusher role at Texas Tech. In just the 2025 season, Bailey accumulated 14.5 sacks, 19.5 TFLs, and had a 20.2% pressure rate. But Reese offers more than just being an explosive edge rusher.

Reese has a stronger upside, more versatile experience, and can thrive in both 3-4 OLB and hybrid schemes. Want that explosive first-step quickness and burst off the line? Arvell does that not only with speed but also with his long arm stabs, chops, and handles inside counters effectively. Talk about pass-rushing skills? He transitioned seamlessly to become a part-time edge rusher in 2025 and showed promise. Right from creating immediate penetration and navigating bull rushes, Arvell handles everything perfectly.

“Arvell, there are a lot of people who have listed him as an outside linebacker,” Bobby Carpenter said. “But you saw him this year like he’s 6’4″ or 6’5″. He’s got incredible length. He got good pop. He’s about 245 lbs. He could be 255 lbs if you need him to be. You look at his frame. He’s a wiry guy, but he has room to add mass.”

Of course, if an NFL team wants immediate impact, drafting David Bailey makes more sense. He has already proven himself in the edge rusher role and got PFF’s second-highest pass rush grade (93.8) last year. Furthermore, his 81 total pressures were the second-highest in the nation, trailing only Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr., who played two more games than Bailey.

With the 2nd overall pick going to the New York Jets, they need immediate impact, considering their 2025 woes. Will they go with Bailey or take someone like Reese, who is a long-term prospect?

Who will the Jets draft between Arvell Reese and David Bailey

$8.1B Jets recorded 26 sacks as a team across 17 games and were 31st-ranked in the league. From low pressure on QBs to opponents enjoying a clean pocket, dissecting the Jets’ defense became far easier. Because of that, they ranked 25th in total yards per game allowed and allowed the 4th most rushing yards in the NFL. Additionally, the team has also traded a proven edge in Jermaine Johnson II to the Titans for interior DL T’Vondre Sweat, thinning the edge rusher group. Immediate impact is what the Jets need desperately.

“Jets really need an instant-impact edge rusher,” Mel Kiper Jr. wrote, placing the Jets to draft Bailey at 2nd overall. Reese, on the other hand, became his 3rd overall pick, going to the Arizona Cardinals. “The Cardinals weren’t much better than the Jets in the sack department, tying for 28th with 30. Josh Sweat needs a running mate, and Reese has the instincts and burst to get home on the QB.”

It will be a hard choice for the Jets between Reese and Bailey. They might even be tempted to draft Reese, considering the reinforcements they have added in the edge rusher room. Kingsley Enagbare came on a one-year contract and is a reliable rotational piece. The Jets also added Joseph Ossai on a 3-year contract. Ossai is just 25 and has proven pressure metrics. Moreover, he will likely start with Will McDonald IV.

Apart from that, the Jets have also added Demario Davis to the linebacker role and David Onyemata as an interior lineman. Surely both can come in handy if required. So, considering the modest reinforcements, the New York Jets might just gamble on Arvell Reese come the NFL draft.