Mel Kiper Jr.’s New Mock Draft Has Jets Making Statement

The New York Jets need some more firepower on defense this offseason, especially after trading Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner away.

New York's defense in general underperformed in 2025, as shown by the team's firing of defensive coordinator Steve Wilks before the season came to a close. The Jets were average against the pass and finished 16th in the league while allowing 216.1 passing yards per game. New York allowed the fourth-most rushing yards per game at 139.5 rushing yards per game. Overall, the Jets allowed the eighth-most total yards per game at 355.6 yards per game.

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The Jets neeed more and have a golden opportunity in front of them to add a high-end piece while using the No. 2 pick in the 2026 National Football League Draft. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. predicted that the Jets will take the opportunity to draft Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese.

The Jets have an opportunity in front of them

Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese (8) leaves the field following the NCAA football game against the Ohio Bobcats at Ohio Stadium on Sept. 13, 2025. Ohio State won 37-9. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"No. 2. New York Jets," Kiper wrote. "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."

At this time of the year, you start to see mock drafts pop up all over the place. Most don't necessarily matter, but when an insider at Kiper's level puts one out there, it's worth looking into. He's one of the most respected draft analysts out there.

If he's calling Reese the "top defensive prospect on the board" and projecting the Jets to draft him, that should be enough for a little excitement about what could be. Reese had 6 1/2 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and 69 total tackles in 2025 in 14 games played. Reese is viewed as a hybrid linebacker who can do a bit of everything on the defensive side of the ball. If the Jets want to make a splash on the defense, this would be the best way to do so. The Jets need help on defense and this would be a clear way to do so.

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