It might be said that the 2026 NFL Draft starts with the New York Jets on Thursday night as they contemplate their next cornerstone pass rusher.
Providing there are no shock twists, Fernando Mendoza is expected to be the No 1 pick to the Las Vegas Raiders as the top quarterback prospect in his class.
Beyond that, the real drama begins with the Jets and the No 2 overall pick – but will it be Arvell Reese or David Bailey? And with greater uncertainty over what happens at No 3, where could the other land?
Jets senior advisor Rick Spielman projected something of a win-win scenario for the organisation as they seek a turn in fortunes on the field next season.
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“We’re all very excited because everybody knows it’s going to be Mendoza at number one unless something crazy happens, but I don’t anticipate that,” Spielman told Sky Sports. “But number two, basically the direction that we go will control the rest of the draft.
“So everybody knows we’re looking at the two pass rushers (David) Bailey and (Arvell) Reese, and I know by the time we get on the clock Thursday, that decision will be made.
“We’re just hashing out some minor things right now, going through one last crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s on everything. So I know (general manager) Darren Mougey will be ready to go and pretty confident, whichever way we go, we’re going to get a great football player.”
Spielman previously served as general manager of the Miami Dolphins in 2004 before holding the post with the Minnesota Vikings from 2012 to 2022.
Albeit in a window famously filled with smoke and mirrors, he insists the Jets know the direction they will head in come Thursday night’s pick.
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“Everything’s pretty much done with the players now, it’s just kind of sitting and waiting,” he said. “And then I know Thursday, coach (Aaron) Glenn and Darren Mougey will get together in the office and just one more time, they’ll probably sit together with the ownership group on the direction we’re going to go.
“As they say over here (in the UK), the hay’s in the barn. But they’ll finalise it with the owner on Thursday and then get ready to go once the clock starts on Thursday night.”
Dexter Lawrence’s trade from the New York Giants to the Cincinnati Bengals has been an early draft week shake-up, and Spielman is anticipating more surprises as six teams enter the first round with more than one pick.
“I know, just speaking with Darren Mougey, there’s been a couple of teams inquiring about (trading up) to number two,” said Spielman.
“When I did pick in the top 10, I got a lot of calls on Thursday. I did one trade I think Thursday around two o’clock. So everybody is calling each other.”
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Sky Sports NFL’s Jeff Reinebold says this year’s edge rusher class is “as deep as I’ve ever seen”, led by Reese and Bailey at the top.
“If you’re David Bailey and you are an edge who’s a dynamic pass rusher, he’s not great against the run, but he isn’t making his money to stop the run, he’s making his money getting to the quarterback and he does that better than anybody in the draft,” said Reinebold on Inside the Huddle.
“You’ve got a guy like Reese, he’s a hybrid guy. Is he an edge? Is he an off-ball linebacker? Is he a combination of both?
“You take a guy like Reese, you take a guy like Sonny Styles, you take a guy like Caleb Downs, those are all three Ohio State kids. Now, what advantage do they have over everybody else in this draft as Ohio State players? Well, they spent time under Matt Patricia, who was a defensive coordinator and head coach in the NFL.
“The game is so much more complex in pro football. These kids have played in a system at Ohio State that is the Patriots defense, so they will come into the game better prepared.”
Watch all three days of the 2026 NFL Draft live on Sky Sports, with Day One under way from 1am in the early hours of Friday morning.
