The NFL Scouting Combine is underway. While Fernando Mendoza is widely projected to go No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, the more intriguing question might be what the New York Jets do at No. 2. Several mock drafts have linked Aaron Glenn’s team to Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. And when asked about Glenn and the Jets at the Combine, Downs didn’t hide his respect.

“I mean, I said I’m not going to share whatever teams I met with, but I was excited to meet him (Glenn),” Downs said. “I shook his hand in the hallways, sounded like great people.”

Downs declined to name the other teams he met with, but the 21-year-old Buckeyes standout made it clear he came away impressed with Glenn and the organization. That doesn’t confirm anything about draft night. But it keeps the door open.

Now, taking a safety at No. 2 overall would raise eyebrows, especially with edge rushers like Texas Tech’s David Bailey and Ohio State’s Arvell Reese on the board. Positional value matters. Pass rushers typically go early. Safeties rarely do.

Still, Downs has been consistently linked to the Jets. Mel Kiper even mocked him to New York at No. 2.

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“This would be the highest draft slot for a safety since Eric Turner went No. 2 in 1991. Downs is worthy, though,” Kiper said. “He reads the offense so well, and then he has quickness, physicality and ball skills to make plays against both the run and the pass. He can truly impact a defense’s ceiling from the back end, with six interceptions, 18 tackles for loss and 22 run stops over his three college seasons. The Jets’ defense didn’t have a single INT in 2025 — yes, you read that right — and only the Cowboys gave up more points (29.6 per game). Plus, Andre Cisco is hitting free agency.”

That last part is key. The Jets’ defense didn’t record a single interception in 2025. They allowed 29.6 points per game, ranking second-worst in the league, and surrendered 355.6 yards per game, which placed them 25th overall. When you look at those numbers, the idea of adding a rangy, instinctive safety at the back end doesn’t feel outrageous.

New York also holds the No. 16 overall pick, which gives Glenn flexibility to address another need later in the first round. That broader roster conversation will unfold in time. Right now, the No. 2 pick is the focal point, and Downs is firmly in that discussion.

From a production standpoint, he checks the boxes. Downs entered college as a top-10 high school prospect and committed to Alabama. Under Nick Saban, he started at strong safety as a freshman and totaled 107 tackles, two interceptions, and a forced fumble.

After Saban’s retirement, he transferred to Ohio State and maintained his trajectory. As a sophomore, he recorded 81 tackles, two interceptions, six pass breakups, and added a punt return touchdown. He also helped the Buckeyes capture their ninth National Championship.

He followed that with another two-interception season in 2025, adding two forced fumbles and the first sack of his career.

So, selecting a safety at No. 2 would be unconventional. But when you weigh the Jets’ defensive struggles against Downs’ résumé and versatility, it becomes easier to understand why Kiper and others see the connection. Whether Glenn ultimately makes that call or pivots to another prospect in April remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, besides Downs, another draft prospect has also admitted to meeting with the Jets at the Combine.

Can Aaron Glenn target Caleb Downs’ teammate at No. 2?

Mock drafts have been all over the place this year. The Jets have consistently been linked to Caleb Downs; that’s established. But they’ve also been connected to his Ohio State teammate, linebacker Arvell Reese. And Reese confirmed at the Combine that he has already met with New York’s front office.

“It was a lot of install,” Reese said of the meeting. “They wanted to see where my head was at…I think that’s a serious organization. I respect the guys I’ve met with — I respect that room, for sure.”

When teams dive into install-heavy conversations at the Combine, they’re testing football IQ, processing speed, and scheme adaptability, not just personality.

Reese also made something else clear this week: he sees himself more as an outside linebacker or edge rusher at the next level rather than a traditional off-ball linebacker.

“Teams have pretty much been asking me what I want to do and see where my mind was at. I’ve been telling them I think I’m an outside linebacker/edge,” he said. “I haven’t even scratched the surface with really what I can do pass rushing.”

That positional projection is one of the more interesting evaluation questions in this draft cycle. Last season, he totaled 69 tackles and 6.5 sacks after transitioning in 2025 from an off-ball role into more of a pass-rushing position. The production followed the role change, which strengthens the argument that his best NFL value may come on the edge.

Whether that fit aligns with Aaron Glenn’s defensive vision or another team’s will ultimately depend on how Reese’s draft stock settles over the next several weeks. For now, though, he remains firmly in the conversation as a realistic option if the Jets decide to go defense at No. 2.