Jets GM downplays canceled predraft visit with edge rusher Bailey
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey says the team recently canceling its pre-draft visit with top pass rushing prospect David Bailey isn't an indication of waning interest in the Texas Tech star.
The Jets have the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft, which begins Thursday night, and New York has been most commonly linked to selecting either Bailey or Ohio State edge rusher Arvell Reese to boost its defense.
Per NFL rules, teams are allowed to invite up to 30 non-local, draft-eligible players to their facilities for in-depth interviews, film studies and physical evaluations to firm up their scouting reports. The Athletic first reported last week that the Jets canceled their visit with Bailey.
“In regards to David, we had good touch points with him at the combine, we went to his pro day, had a good dinner with him,” Mougey said Tuesday at the team's pre-draft news conference. “We were just kind of juggling our 30 and how to use them and I wouldn't look too much into a cancelation because there were other ones we may have changed, as well.”
Mougey, entering his second season as the Jets' GM, said teams handle their top-30 visits in a variety of ways.
“Some don't even use the top-30s,” he said. "I would say, for us, when we do top-30s, every single player and case is different. Sometimes, I want this player to meet with our player engagement department. Sometimes, I want this player to meet with our sports performance. Sometimes, it's purely medical. Sometimes, it’s a recruiting process.
“Sometimes, it’s a smokescreen.”
The Jets, who have four picks among the first 44 selections, reportedly did have Reese at their facility for a top-30 visit.
With Las Vegas expected to select quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick, New York will have its choice of pass rushers to help a defense that ranked among the NFL's worst in several categories last season in Aaron Glenn's first year as coach. Glenn fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks late last season and replaced him this offseason with Brian Duker, but the head coach will call the plays on defense this season.
Bailey is widely considered by scouts as the more polished player between him and Reese, but Reese is projected to have a higher production ceiling.
“So, that’s a discussion we have really about every single player, whether it’s a first-round player or a seventh-round player,” Mougey said of his philosophy on weighing immediate contributions against long-range potential. “We’re in the business of projecting these guys, what their value could be. We’re talking ceilings and floors all the time with all these prospects and how they fit here and what they could be and what they could not be based on their deficiencies or their abilities.”
It’s the fourth time in franchise history that the Jets are picking second overall and first since they took quarterback Zach Wilson in 2021. Running back Blair Thomas (1990) and wide receiver Johnny “Lam” Jones (1980) were the others. With the Raiders so heavily linked to Mendoza, it has given Mougey and the Jets an opportunity to know, barring a trade, they'll likely get the player they have at the top of their list.
“It’s a little different. It’s nice, right?” Mougey said. “Because we think we know what’s going to happen at (No. 1), so we have these pool of players, and I’m like, ‘OK, let’s dive into it. We’re going to get one of these guys.’ So, it’s been good, but it hasn’t really changed the process in terms of just diving into each guy and then stacking them and doing it, but it’s kind of nice.”
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