FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — It was 2022 all over again for the New York Jets, who made three first-round selections Thursday night to kick-start their latest rebuild.
They selected Texas Tech defensive end David Bailey (No. 2) and Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq (16), and traded into the bottom of Round 1 for Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. (30) — all three from schools that made the College Football Playoff.
Coach Aaron Glenn said it was “critical” to draft players with winning pedigrees.
“When you identify guys you like — you love — you go get them, and that’s exactly what we did today,” Glenn said. “And anytime you bring guys with a winning background on your team, that only helps the morale of your team.”
This marked the third time in team history that the Jets made at least three first-round picks. It happened in 2000 (four selections) and again in 2022, which was eerily reminiscent to Thursday night.
Four years ago, they picked cornerback Sauce Gardner, wide receiver Garrett Wilson and defensive end Jermaine Johnson II in the first round, with Johnson arriving via trade near the bottom of the round. That draft class, which also included second-round running back Breece Hall, was supposed to be a turning point for the franchise, but the losing continued.
The Jets have endured 10 straight losing seasons and 15 years in a row without making the playoffs.
Cooper, a key member of Indiana’s CFP championship team, said he wants to help orchestrate a similar turnaround for the Jets.
“That’s what me and AG, we talked about when I had my 30 visit with him,” Cooper said. “And so that’s his plan and goal for the team, and now that I’ve been drafted to play for them, that’s the goal that I want to do.”
In selecting Bailey over Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese, the Jets opted for production over potential. Bailey was arguably the top pass rusher in college football last season, Reese a hybrid player with big upside. For weeks, draftniks debated between Bailey and Reese, fueling intense speculation.
“Listen, Arvell’s going to have a really good career in this league, but when you just continue to evaluate those guys, we just felt like Bailey fit us,” Glenn said.
General manager Darren Mougey said they finalized their decision a few days ago, adding that they received no trade offers for the second pick. Reese was later selected by the New York Giants with the No. 5 pick.
Bailey never took a top-30 visit to the Jets, who canceled the scheduled meeting — a move that fueled rampant speculation about their interest in him. Bailey said he didn’t read too much into it.
“I mean, I didn’t know if it was an unusual thing to do, but I was still confident in the interactions that I had with them at the combine,” he told reporters after being selected. “I felt good with them. And then also we had a dinner back in Lubbock [Texas] after my pro day, so I still felt good with the prior conversations. I know they, for whatever reason, they had their reasons [canceling the visit]. So I was just trusting my agent and trusting the process.”
Glenn said the Jets didn’t need the visit because they already had plenty of intel on Bailey after meeting with him at the combine and dining with him before his pro day. That, Glenn said, allowed them to “really dig deep into who he is as a person.” The Jets also have three staff members from Stanford, Bailey’s first school, and they were able to provide background.
Bailey becomes the highest-drafted defensive player in Jets history after leading the FBS in sacks (14.5), tackles for loss (23) and quarterback pressure rate (20.4%) for the 2025 season.
With Bailey, the Jets addressed a major need on defense. In a 3-14 season, they produced only 26 sacks — 31st in the NFL. That lack of consistent pressure was one of the reasons New York became the first team without an interception in a season with at least 16 games.
With the 16th pick, the Jets selected a pass catcher, but at tight end instead of wide receiver in Sadiq, who had 51 receptions for 560 yards and eight touchdowns last season. He also had six drops, tied for most in the FBS among tight ends.
“It was really a no-brainer for us just to add another weapon to the offense,” said Mougey, adding that offensive coordinator Frank Reich has “a great vision for the player and how we can use him in multiple ways.”
The Jets became only the third team in the common draft era to pick both a tight end and a wide receiver in the first round, joining the 1969 Los Angeles Rams and 1969 San Francisco 49ers.
“I play fast, and I play hard, and those are two things I pride myself on,” Sadiq said.
The Jets still got their wide receiver, trading up to three spots to take Cooper. They sent the 33rd pick and a fifth-round selection (No. 179) to the 49ers. Cooper made 69 catches for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns as quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s top receiver last season.
“With Omar, we all saw him against Penn State when he made that game-winning catch,” Glenn said. “Man, you saw the things that Bailey did as far as the forced fumbles and things like that. You saw Sadiq and his [run after catch], man. All of those guys have done something within their career that either won the game or take over a game. And they come from winning programs, and that was huge to be able to get guys like that.”
