ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. grades Jets' 2026 NFL Draft

The New York Jets earned praise from ESPN NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. following the 2026 NFL Draft. The Jets made three picks in the first round of this year's draft, adding pass rusher David Bailey, tight end Kenyon Sadiq and finishing with receiver Omar Cooper Jr.

after a trade up. In the end, Kiper gave the Jets a grade of A-minus for their overall haul at the draft. Only four teams ranked ahead of Gang Green in Kiper's grades.

Kiper's full breakdown can be found below: Let's flash back to 2022, when the Jets had two picks in Round 1 and ended up making three selections --  Sauce Gardner ,  Garrett Wilson  and  Jermaine Johnson . Only one of those players is still with the team, and one of them was actually  traded  for one of the Jets' first-rounders this year, but we're running it back. New York added three playmakers on Day 1, starting with  David Bailey .

I made the case that this should have been  Arvell Reese  because of his high upside. But Bailey brings tangible production to the table, having led the nation in pressure rate (20. 4%) en route to 14.