The New York Jets' 2025 season? Let’s just say it was a year to forget-on both sides of the ball.
Offensively, the quarterback carousel of Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor, and rookie Brady Cook didn’t exactly inspire confidence. Despite a promising young offensive line and a respectable ground game, the passing attack never found its rhythm.
It was disjointed, inconsistent, and ultimately one of the league’s least effective air attacks.
But if the offense was underwhelming, the defense was downright alarming.
Even with stars like Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams still in the fold, the Jets' defense fell apart. According to Sumer Sports’ EPA/play metric, they ranked 30th in the league.
That includes dead last against the pass and 25th against the run. That’s not just a bad year-it’s a complete collapse for a unit that was expected to be the team’s backbone.
So it’s no surprise that in ESPN’s latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft, analyst Field Yates has the Jets going all-in on defense. With no quarterback worthy of the No. 2 overall pick, Yates projects the Jets will begin rebuilding their defense by targeting high-upside talent in the trenches-starting with Ohio State’s Arvell Reese.
Arvell Reese: A New-Age Hybrid for the Front Seven
Reese is a name that’s been climbing draft boards, and for good reason. After spending most of his early college career as an inside linebacker, he transitioned to a primary edge role in 2025-and thrived. He racked up 6.5 sacks for the Buckeyes, showing off a rare blend of length, burst, and flexibility around the edge.
Only Will McDonald IV had more sacks (8) for the Jets in 2025, but that number comes with some context. Four of McDonald’s sacks came in a single game against the Browns. Outside of that outburst, his production was sporadic, and he looked more like a situational pass rusher than a full-time edge presence.
Jermaine Johnson II, another former first-rounder, was working his way back from an Achilles injury and never quite looked like himself. So while the Jets technically have two recent first-rounders on the edge, the need for a more complete, three-down player is real.
That’s where Reese fits in. He’s not just a pass rusher-he’s a tone-setter.
According to Pro Football Focus, Reese tallied 18 run stuffs last season and missed just two tackles. That kind of reliability and versatility is exactly what the Jets need to stabilize a front seven that struggled to stop the run and generate consistent pressure.
Caleb Banks: A Mountain in the Middle
With their second first-round pick at No. 16 overall, Yates has the Jets reinforcing the interior defensive line by selecting Florida’s Caleb Banks. And if you're looking for upside, Banks has it in spades.
At 6-foot-6, 330 pounds with 35-inch arms, Banks is a physical specimen. He missed most of the 2025 college season due to injury, but his performance during Senior Bowl week turned heads. He was dominant in drills, flashing the kind of raw power and leverage that NFL teams covet in interior linemen.
There’s understandable concern about using a first-round pick on a player with such limited tape from last season. But Banks isn’t your typical project. He’s got the size, traits, and flashes of dominance that make you believe he could be a top-10 player from this class if developed properly.
The Jets, meanwhile, got solid-if unspectacular-play from veterans Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs in 2025. But Phillips is entering the final year of his deal, and Briggs is an exclusive-rights free agent. That opens the door for a young, high-upside player like Banks to step in and eventually take over as a long-term anchor up front.
A Defensive Reset the Jets Desperately Need
The numbers don’t lie: the Jets finished with the second-fewest sacks in the league last season and gave up an average of 139.5 rushing yards per game. That’s a recipe for disaster, especially in an AFC loaded with elite quarterbacks and explosive offenses.
Doubling down on defense in the first round isn’t just a smart move-it’s a necessary one. The Jets need more than just talent; they need foundational pieces who can grow into leaders and help reset the identity of this defense.
Arvell Reese and Caleb Banks may not be flashy picks, but they represent a clear vision: get younger, get tougher, and build a defense that can finally live up to its potential. After a 2025 season that exposed just how far this unit has fallen, that kind of investment in the trenches could be the first real step toward a turnaround.