As the NFL Draft draws nearer, without very little more major events lined up, draft talk is heating up. During this time, teams are conducting Top 30 visits, meeting with prospects at pro days, and gathering the last bits of information to construct their draft plans. As this is all happening, analysts and journalists are using all of this gathered information to make predictions and report news. One of these analysts, who is also extremely plugged in to the football world, is NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah. Jeremiah is heralded for his accuracy on predictive mock drafts. Famously, he predicted the Texans trading up in the 2023 Draft to select Will Anderson Jr. Recently, on “The Mina Kimes Show”, Jeremiah was featured as a guest in a mock draft exercise. When discussing Ohio State WR Carnell Tate at the Titans selection, he had this to say:
Jeremiah believes Carnell Tate is in play as high as 2nd overall pic.twitter.com/t2iIDOUagw
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) April 6, 2026
That second overall pick belongs to the Jets, who certainly have a need at wide receiver. However they would be passing on premium defensive talent at the same time. Let’s discuss how this could affect the rest of the draft and if it’s worth taking the swing on a wide receiver so early.
What Happens After Tate at #2
In the event that the 2026 Draft stars with Fernando Mendoza and Carnell Tate, that raises many questions for the Jets with their next pick at 16th overall. Assuming that all 3 top EDGE rushers (Arvell Reese, David Bailey, and Rueben Bain Jr.) are off the board, what do the Jets address? If they go for an EDGE, they’ll be picking from the next batch of players at the position. This group includes Akheem Mesidor, T.J. Parker, or potential reaches in Zion Young and Keldric Faulk. Cornerback is in the same boat, as the top dogs in Mansoor Delane and Jermod McCoy will both likely be gone. Options at that point would include Avieon Terrell and Colton Hood. The value seems to wane fast in this scenario.
The one position where there may still be value though – safety. The Jets addressed this position hard in free agency, acquiring Minkah Fitzpatrick and Dane Belton. They also re-signed Andre Cisco. However, two of the top safeties have a good chance at being available in this spot. Those players being Dillon Thieneman and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. Both of these players are rangy, athletic, and have the football IQ to survive over top. Selecting one of them to play free safety would allow Aaron Glenn to get Fitzpatrick and Belton closer to the line of scrimmage. An area in which both had a lot of snaps logged at and thrived at last season.
Here is every INT and FF by #Toledo FS Emmanuel McNeil-Warren during his college career: pic.twitter.com/B9JPhlTDvH
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) March 31, 2026
Finally, if the Jets are not satisfied with the value at 16, they could move around. They can move up, using their abundance of capital, to secure an EDGE, CB, or even Caleb Downs. Alternatively, they could move down, gain more capital, and reassess. Essentially, taking Carnell Tate at #2 would create multiple paths at #16.
What the Jets Miss Out On
The favorite to be selected at the 2nd overall pick is Arvell Reese, and he has been for a long time. Behind him, is David Bailey. If the Jets elect to shock everybody and take Carnell Tate, then they will miss out on these players. They could also miss out on Rueben Bain. The reason why EDGE is such a popular pick for the Jets is because the team lacks a true “sack artist”. Will McDonald has shown the flashes, but has struggled with consistency. His subpar run defense also keeps him off the field at times. The team added Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare in March, but the two of them have a combined 28 sacks over the last four seasons.
The Jets need a player that can get to the quarterback at a high clip. The top players at EDGE in this 2026 class have a great chance at providing that. Bailey, who is often regarded as the best pure pass rusher in this draft, backs that up with 81 pressures and 15 sacks in 2025. He led the nation in both of these metrics. As for Reese, he’s more of an off-ball player right now, but he showed flashes off the EDGE in 2025. He’s more of an upside pick.
Arvell Reese may not be great with bags so here’s a cut up of him winning against humans pic.twitter.com/HTXBm0EX9z
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) March 25, 2026
Both players represent a type of EDGE rusher that the Jets don’t have right now and sorely need.
The Verdict
The ultimate question is – what is the best path for the Jets on draft night? Anything can happen in the NFL Draft, so the Jets, along with every team, aren’t going to determine a set course of action going into it. However, given the options presented, the more consistent option is most likely the consensus. Securing an EDGE at 2 gives the Jets flexibility to handle their wide receiver need by any means necessary. If someone they like falls to them, they can make that selection at 16. The Jets also have the capital to move up if they need to (perhaps in front of the Rams). If they do end up making the decision to take Carnell Tate, or any WR for that matter, at #2, they need to have a plan at EDGE. Ultimately though, everything about the NFL Draft is unknown until it happens (except Fernando Mendoza to Las Vegas probably).
Main Image: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch