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With the second pick of the draft, which is rarefied air in the draft universe, it’s really hard to go for potential over production. Really hard.
That is what the Jets would have been doing if they had picked Arvell Reese over David Bailey.
Bailey was a production over-potential pick. Bailey had 14.5 last year for Texas Tech. Reese was mainly an off-the-ball linebacker, who people think could be a good edge-rusher, but he only did it occasionally.
Reese was too risky for them to pick. Before the draft, NFL Network draft analyst Lance Zielein laid it out perfectly it you want to
“Yeah, [Reese] has this really high upside, but guys whose jobs are on the line, it all looks great until they figure out what they are doing (with the player),” Zierlein said. “When you look at Arvell Reese right now, he’s very much an unpolished gem, and that is something you have to contend with – are we ready to take on the polish if we are a lower-level team drafting high?”
Clearly, the Jets didn’t want to go down the road, which is understandable.
The Jets needed a game-wrecking edge-rusher badly and they got one in Bailey.
Now, you should never reach for need, but that wasn’t the case here. This was a situation where need and value matched up.
And speaking of value, that is the best way to describe what the Jets did at 16, picking tight end Kenyon Sadiq.
Tight end was not a huge need for the Jets, but a “planet player” fell in their laps. “Planet player” is a term coined by late Giants GM George Young. In other words, there are only so many people on the planet like a particular prospect.
How often do you ever come across a tight end who runs a 4.39 forty? This cat is a unicorn.
Now, people will be quick to say he’s only 6-3, 241.
You know what, how many humans who are 6-3, 241 run 4.39?
Just to put it in perspective, three of the top wide receivers, Ohio State WR Carnell Tate, ran a 4.53, KC Concepcion ran a 4.43, and Indiana WR Omar Cooper ran 4.42.
And while Sadiq is listed as a tight end, he’s kind of a jack of all trades you can play over.
“Sadiq is a freak – he is a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses,” said ESPN college football analyst Dusty Dvoracek.
If you saw a shot of the Jets’ war room after they picked Sadiq, one of the people in the room celebrating the most was offensive coordinator Frank Reich.
With how much you can move this guy around to so many different positions – tight end, slot, running back, and outside receiver, he will be amazing chess piece for Reich to work with.
Danny Kanell of SiriusXM College Sports radio called Sadiq “a QB’s best friend and a play-caller’s best friend.”
Why did the Jets pick Saqiq over a receiver like Cooper or Washington’s Denzel Boston?
Well, they ended up getting Cooper at 30, trading into the back of the first round. Cooper at 16 probably would have been a little bit of a reach, but at 30, the pick makes a lot more sense.
I was never against the Jets picking a receiver, but not at 16.
Sadiq made more sense at 16 than Cooper.
Cooper at 30 – perfect.
“Tough and physical and not afraid to get it in traffic,” said Kanell.
Maryland coach Mike Locksley thinks Cooper can be “a Deebo Samuel type of guy who you can use on jet sweeps.”
April 23, 2026
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