With the 2026 NFL Draft being a little less than two months out, it is all about who the New York Jets are going to take at No. 2 overall. That is when the NFL Draft really begins. While everybody and their brother knows that the Las Vegas Raiders will use the No. 1 overall selection on Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza out of Indiana, New York should take Arvell Reese at No. 2.
It makes the most sense for a plethora of reasons. NFL Mock Draft Database has the Ohio State linebacker as the No. 2 overall player on its big board and going to the Jets at No. 2 in its consensus NFL mock draft. Ohio State may very well end up with four players going inside the top 10 in Reese, fellow linebacker Sonny Styles, wide receiver Carnell Tate, and safety extraordinaire Caleb Downs.
However, too much is being made about Reese's lack of a true position at the next level. Whether he becomes a standup linebacker or kicks out to the edge as a pass rusher, that should not matter. The Jets are devoid of talent. It is borderline shocking that head coach Aaron Glenn got a second year on the job after how last season went. Since they cannot take a quarterback at No. 2, go get a playmaker.
As well as Styles being a bit position-less himself, two other guys make a compelling case for Reese.
New York Jets should not pass on Arvell Reese with the No. 2 overall pick
Let's be honest with ourselves. If the Jets do what they do best and screw the pooch, teams picking immediately behind Gang Green like the Arizona Cardinals or Tennessee Titans are going to stop his fall. As far as why Reese needs to be the No. 2 pick, a pair of former Georgia linebackers in CJ Allen and Jalon Walker will help make that dream a reality, at least indirectly, with Styles doing so as well...
Follow along with this... Walker was a position-less player coming out of Georgia last spring. He fell to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 15. While he played second fiddle to his controversial draft classmate James Pearce Jr. in Atlanta last year, Walker was still able to get his. Atlanta did not care that he was more of a Swiss Army knife than anything. The Falcons see him as a defensive franchise cornerstone.
As far as how Allen fits into the mix, he may be more of a traditional standup linebacker. However, like Reese and Styles, he is simply too good and too productive to not be a first-round pick. If this guy is LB3 on many pundits' big boards, his rise up some evaluators' rankings could elevate Reese and Styles' stock as a result. If Allen is a faster mover up the board, the Reese and Styles will go top 10.
Overall, there are no sure things in this draft. The most productive player in the country last college football season in Miami Hurricanes edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. has historically short arms. Every player, including Mendoza, has flaws to be overcome. Reese is no different. But for that reason, horribly run football teams like the Jets need more good players. He could be deodorant for them.
Reese may not be dying to go to the Jets, but we will look at them with a side eye of they pass on him.