David Bailey had to wonder what was going on when the Jets scrapped a scheduled pre-draft meeting with him about two weeks before the 2026 NFL Draft. That kind of move tends to set off alarms, and for a while it looked like New York might be sending a signal that it had cooled on the Texas Tech edge rusher.
It turns out the Jets were just keeping things close to the vest.
New York held the No. 2 overall pick and, as the draft approached, the path seemed narrowed to two names: Bailey or Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese. The decision ultimately went to Bailey, the player viewed as the most pro-ready in the group, even if the team’s process made it hard for outsiders - and even Bailey himself - to read the room.
Speaking on the Jets podcast Gang's All Here, Bailey said he initially took the cancelled meeting as a bad sign.
"Since it was my first time going through the (pre-draft) process, my initial reaction was that they're (Jets) not interested. But I talked with my agent, and he's been through this process, and he was telling me, 'Man, don't worry about it.'
He had talked to (Mougey); he had talked to a lot of the Jets staff. He said, 'That really doesn't mean too much.
Don't think too much into it.'"
Bailey’s agents, Ryan Williams and Travis Allen of Athletes First, clearly had a better read on the situation than the prospect did at the time. The Jets, meanwhile, managed to keep their intentions murky right up until they made the pick.
That kind of poker face can be useful. If Mougey and Glenn keep operating that way, it could matter again in 2027, when New York is set to have multiple first-round selections to play with.
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