New York Jets NFL Draft 2026 pick tracker: Grades, fits and scouting reports

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Friday night, the Jets traded No. 44 to the Detroit Lions for Nos. 50 and 128. They selected Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds at No. 50. General manager Darren Mougey made a definitive statement when he dealt away Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams at the trade deadline: It was time to blow things up, start over and build through the draft. That process started with those trades and continued into free agency, when Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn prioritized veteran players to help guide a young roster. This is not a Jets team that can afford to target players based on positional needs — an argument could be made they have needs at just about every position. This draft class will go a long way toward determining whether Glenn and Mougey stick around beyond 2026. Keep coming back here throughout the draft for grades and analysis of each Jets pick. The Jets make the first “surprise” of the draft. Bailey ranked fifth on our consensus big board and was the second-ranked edge rusher behind Arvell Reese. The Jets are in need of talent up and down the roster and getting possibly the best pure pass rusher in the class is a good place to start. If it were my pick, I would have stuck with the better player on the consensus board, but Reese comes with his own risk as a raw pass rusher. Bailey should have the more immediate impact. — Austin Mock From Brugler’s Top 300 rankings: Bailey is still developing his rush counters, but he is an explosive, quick-twitch athlete with the power, length and desire to be a disruptive rush piece. He projects as a versatile NFL starter. Likely to be a versatile NFL starter: quick-twitch, disruptive, powerful and explosive. New York Jets select David Bailey, edge from Texas Tech, with No. 2 pick in 2026 NFL Draft I love this pick. The Jets need a pass catcher and Sadiq is the best one left on the board. So what if he’s a tight end? He can also line up as a gigantic X-receiver or maybe even a Z. An outstanding blocker at the line of scrimmage and out in space, Sadiq is a 4.39 guy at 250 pounds. A freakish athlete, arguably the best in this class, and the type of weapon who can always keep the math in the offense’s favor — Sadiq is built for the modern game. I like this pick better than the Bailey pick, if I’m honest. — Nick Baumgardner Sadiq has mismatch-creating potential in the NFL, because of his ability to out-quick and out-tough defenders as both a pass catcher and blocker. He projects as a versatile, Vernon Davis-like weapon and has his best football ahead of him. A freaky athlete who can both outrun and outmuscle NFL defenders. New York Jets take Kenyon Sadiq, tight end from Oregon, with No. 16 pick in 2026 NFL Draft Adonai Mitchell started to flash with the Jets, but they arguably still have a void behind Garrett Wilson in the passing game. Sadiq immediately steps in as the Jets’ top tight end and can be the No. 2 from Day 1. That’s the potential. The risk is Sadiq doesn’t see a full workload as a rookie, struggles for targets while competing with Mitchell and others, and Geno Smith doesn’t bounce back. That would have Sadiq as waiver fodder in redraft. Nevertheless, as of now — the Jets could add a wideout — he’s worth a late-round gamble in redraft. For dynasty, he’s still a first-round value, no matter how the rest of the Jets’  draft goes. — Jake Ciely The Jets clearly had guys they wanted tonight and it looks like they got them all. New York gets its pass rusher in Bailey, a mutant in Sadiq and one of the most QB-friendly receivers in this draft in Cooper. Cooper was Fernando Mendoza’s favorite target at Indiana and should make life easier on whoever the Jets’ future quarterback is. The Jets have so many picks over the next two years, I don’t mind the aggressiveness here at all. Cooper is a first-round player in this class and New York didn’t want to wait and see about this happening in the second round. Three foundational pieces added here. — Nick Baumgardner Cooper will be an attractive draft target for the NFL teams that put high value on ball skills and run-after-catch ability. He projects as an inside-outside receiver who can be weaponized when featured. An inside-outside weapon with run-after-catch ability. Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr. selected by New York Jets with pick No. 30 in 2026 NFL Draft With the Jets taking Cooper, we have two impacted players. First, Cooper is clearly the No. 2 to Wilson, and Cooper has immediate WR4 value, potentially more if Smith can bounce back. The second is that Sadiq is out of the TE1 conversation in redraft/2026. In dynasty, he’s still a first-round pick, as the Jets could end up with a terrific QB next year. As for Cooper in dynasty, I would take him ahead of Sadiq. — Jake Ciely Aaron Glenn and the New York Jets just drafted another Aaron Glenn. Ponds is a small corner who, like his new head coach, plays like a man twice his own size — with a boulder on his shoulder the size of New Jersey. This is a tremendous fit and very good value. — Nick Baumgardner May be too small for some teams, but compensates with top-tier speed and toughness. Ponds is undersized (which would be a deal-breaker for some), but he compensates with top-tier speed, instincts and competitive toughness that is ingrained in his DNA. His play style makes it hard to bet against him becoming an inside-outside NFL starter. No. 103 No. 128 (from Detroit) No. 140 (compensatory pick) No. 228 (from Dallas via Buffalo and Las Vegas) No. 242 (from Buffalo via Cleveland) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms