ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has released his first mock draft of the year. With the team’s two first round picks Kiper projects that the Jets will address two of their most important needs. 2. New York Jets Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State The Jets ranked 31st in sacks with 26, and Will McDonald IV was the only player […]
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has released his first mock draft of the year. With the team’s two first round picks Kiper projects that the Jets will address two of their most important needs.
2. New York Jets
Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State
The Jets ranked 31st in sacks with 26, and Will McDonald IV was the only player on the roster with more than four of them (eight). Jermaine Johnson is heading into his fifth-year-option season, meaning the depth chart could be thinning out on the edge. With coach Aaron Glenn’s defensive background, getting that unit right will be an offseason priority. Reese played off the ball before moving into an edge rusher role in 2025, and he has the traits to make an impact there in the NFL. I love his instincts and burst. (And if New York wanted him at linebacker, there’s a void there with Quincy Williams entering free agency.)
For the Jets fans screaming that the team needs a quarterback, I’m with you. There just isn’t another passer worthy of a top-two selection right now after Dante Moore decided to go back to Oregon for another season. Perhaps that changes. Maybe the Jets go get a veteran and make this irrelevant anyway, waiting for 2027, instead, when they have three first-rounders. But right now, New York is better off taking the top defensive prospect on the board — and maybe getting lucky at the QB position when it is back on the board in the middle of Round 1.
16. New York Jets (via IND)
Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama
Recall that the Jets were left out of the quarterback game when they were on the board the first time at No. 2; there just isn’t another top-five QB prospect in this class right now beyond Fernando Mendoza. But getting linebacker Arvell Reese there then getting the class’ QB2 here? That’s a pretty good first round for New York.
Let’s be clear, though: I do have some concerns about Simpson. He has 15 career starts, which means this pick would come with a lot of risk. That’s just not enough game experience. We also can’t ignore his dip in performance in the second half of the 2025 season. But there’s also no questioning his upside. Simpson has good pocket presence, and he fired 28 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this past season. If the Jets can surround him with talent on offense and develop him, he has a high ceiling.
The two most important positions on a football team are quarterback and edge rusher. The Jets currently have pretty glaring holes at both spots.
One might think it’s logical for the team to look to fill these holes with its two first round picks. These selections would have their share of risk. Neither Reese nor Simpson is a finish product. Both players are in need of development. You might call these picks high risk, high reward.
Category: General Sports
