Jets GM: Don't misread nixed visit with DE Bailey

Two days before the NFL draft, the New York Jets' preference with the second overall choice is still shrouded in mystery. It's expected to be either Ohio State's Arvell Reese or Texas Tech's David Bailey, whose scheduled top-30 visit last week was canceled by the Jets.

Don't read anything into that, according to general manager 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 said Tuesday at a predraft news conference. "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 pick by the Las Vegas Raiders, the Jets don't have to project which players might be available to them. It's the advantage of picking second, something the Jets have done only three times in their history, most recently 2021. That year, they picked quarterback Zach Wilson.

"It's a little different. It's nice, right?" said Mougey, preparing for his second draft as 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 targeting one of the edge rushers, according to sources. While they focused on defense in free agency, they're still looking for a dynamic front-seven presence. Bailey led the FBS with 14.5 sacks. Reese recorded only 6.5 sacks last season, in part, because he played multiple positions and had only 97 pass-rushing opportunities.

The cancellation of Bailey's visit fueled speculation that the Jets had settled on Reese. In fact, they already had enough information on Bailey, with Mougey noting they use the top-30 visits for a variety of reasons -- medical checks, recruiting and an opportunity for departments such as sports performance to meet with certain prospects.

"Sometimes," Mougey said of the visits, "it's a smokescreen."

The Jets own four of the top 44 picks, including two in the first round -- No. 2 and No. 16. Perhaps the biggest question is whether they will use No. 16 or No. 33 (first pick in the second round) on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.

The Jets sent a contingent last month to Tuscaloosa to have dinner with Simpson and conduct a private workout the following day. They came away impressed with Simpson's character and football intelligence, though there might be some concern with his lack of experience (15 college starts). They had similar interactions with other quarterbacks, including Miami's Carson Beck.

Mougey said they gave the quarterbacks information a night before 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 said. "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."