2026 NFL draft: Ohio State DT should be Jets option at No. 16 overall
This Ohio State defensive tackle prospect should be an option for the New York Jets at No. 16 overall in the 2026 NFL draft.
The New York Jets are expected to select the best defensive player with the No. 2 overall selection in the 2026 NFL draft . General manager Darren Mougey and his scouting staff are currently sorting through who their preferred target is.
Options include pass rushers Arvell Reese, David Bailey, and Rueben Bain Jr. , with safety Caleb Downs and linebacker Sonny Styles as less likely, but potential options. Once that choice is made, Mougey's attention will then shift to the 16th selection.
A number of positions could be targeted there. A wide receiver or offensive lineman may be the current favorite, with Penn State guard Vega Loane among the potential shortlisted options . A defensive tackle isn't a popular mock-draft selection there after the Jets acquired T'Vondre Sweat via trade.
The Jets have decent depth at the position, with Jowon Briggs, David Onyemata, and Harrison Phillips also on the roster. None of them are quite talented enough to completely take a defensive tackle off the table at 16th overall, however. The Jets still downgraded at the position when they traded Quinnen Williams midway through the 2025 season.