For much of the pre-draft process, the debate that loomed over the minds of New York Jets fans was Arvell Reese vs. David Bailey for the team’s No. 2 pick.
Ultimately, on Thursday night, the Jets chose Bailey.
Speaking to the media following the conclusion of Round 1, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn spoke on why the team elected to go with Bailey over Reese.
“I’ll say this, both of those guys, because we’re talking about those two guys, are really good players,” he said. “Listen, Arvell is 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 better when it comes to he’s a 6’4″, 255-pound man with 34-inch arms that has a ton of production in college. Listen, we looked at all those things, and he fits us.”
Bailey, 22, was a dominant pass-rusher at Texas Tech last season, posting an FBS high 14.5 sacks and 73 pressures. On the other hand, Reese, 20, posted eight sacks in just 104 pass-rush snaps while flashing elite upside and tools that can be developed in the NFL.
The question for the Jets at No. 2 was whether to go with the higher-upside piece in Reese or the proven production in Bailey. At the end of the day, Gang Green chose the latter while Reese was selected by their cross-town rival, the Giants, at No. 5.
For the Jets, their No. 1 task with Bailey will be to improve his poor run defense and turn him into a three-down player to complement his pass-rushing ability.