Jets GM: Don’t read into canceled visit with DE prospect Bailey

Two days earlier than the NFL draft, the New York Jets‘desire with the second total alternative remains to be shrouded in thriller. It’s anticipated to be both Ohio State‘s Arvell Reese or Texas Tech‘s David Baileywhose scheduled top-30 visit final week was canceled by the Jets.

Don’t read something into that, based on normal supervisor Darren Mougey.

“In regard to David, we had good touch points with him at the combine, we went to his pro day, had a good dinner with him, and we were just kind of juggling our 30 [visits] and how to use them,” Mougey stated Tuesday at a predraft information convention. “I wouldn’t look too much into a cancellation because there were other ones that we may have changed as well.”

With Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza the presumptive first decide by the Las Vegas Raidersthe Jets do not need to mission which gamers is perhaps out there to them. It’s the benefit of choosing second, one thing the Jets have completed solely 3 times of their historical past, most just lately 2021. That 12 months, they picked quarterback Zach Wilson.

“It’s a little different. It’s nice, right?” stated Mougey, making ready for his second draft because the GM. “We think we know what’s going to happen at one. We have these pool of players and I’m like, ‘OK, let’s dive in.’ We know we’re going to get one of these players. So it’s good, but it hasn’t changed the process of diving into each guy and stacking them.”

The Jets are focusing on one of many edge rushers, based on sources. While they centered on protection in free company, they’re nonetheless in search of a dynamic front-seven presence. Bailey led the FBS with 14.5 sacks. Reese recorded solely 6.5 sacks final season, partially, as a result of he performed a number of positions and had solely 97 pass-rushing alternatives.

The cancellation of Bailey’s visit fueled hypothesis that the Jets had settled on Reese. In truth, they already had sufficient info on Bailey, with Mougey noting they use the top-30 visits for quite a lot of causes — medical checks, recruiting and a chance for departments comparable to sports activities efficiency to satisfy with sure prospects.

“Sometimes,” Mougey stated of the visits, “it’s a smokescreen.”

The Jets personal 4 of the highest 44 picks, together with two within the first spherical — No. 2 and No. 16. Perhaps the most important query is whether or not they may use No. 16 or No. 33 (first decide within the second spherical) on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.

The Jets despatched a contingent final month to Tuscaloosa to have dinner with Simpson and conduct a non-public exercise the next day. They got here away impressed with Simpson’s character and soccer intelligence, though there is perhaps some concern with his lack of expertise (15 school begins). They had related interactions with different quarterbacks, together with miami‘s Carson Beck.

Mougey stated they gave the quarterbacks info an evening earlier than testing them.

“Let’s see how much you can retain, let’s see how natural it is for you to talk football, let’s see if we connect in the room personality-wise,” he stated. “And we’ll go through that meeting in the room talking a lot of football, a little personal stuff, but a lot of their habits, just kind of really getting a feel for their football mind.”