Jets made three of ESPN's top-10 best selections in 2026 NFL Draft
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Jets made three of ESPN's top-10 best selections in 2026 NFL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New York Jets came into the 2026 NFL Draft with a ton of picks to select instant-impact players on both sides of the ball. That's exactly what they did.
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It was a strong draft class, headlined by David Bailey with the No. 2 overall pick. But, beyond Bailey, the Jets made a ton of other nice selections.
ESPN's Matt Miller named his top-100 best picks from the 2026 NFL Draft, and for the Jets, three of their selections made the top-10 best picks in this year's class.
Jets have three of top-10 best picks in 2026 NFL Draft
"5. Omar Cooper Jr., WR, New York Jets (Pick 1-29). 6. David Bailey, Edge, New York Jets (Pick 1-2). 8. D'Angelo Ponds, CB, New York Jets (Pick 2-50)," Miller writes.
The Jets made three selections in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and two-thirds of those picks are among Miller's top-10 best picks in the entire draft. Only Kenyon Sadiq at No. 16 overall didn't make the cut.
Cooper was Miller's "favorite pick" made by the Jets, a team with plenty of names inside the top 100 overall.
They were able to wait until the end of Round 1 to take Cooper after a very cheap trade-up with the San Francisco 49ers that sent just a late fifth-rounder. Now, the Jets will have a fifth-year option for Cooper.
More: Jets 'absolutely cooked' in Round 1 of NFL Draft according to ESPN analyst
Bailey was the second-best Jets pick this year, according to Miller: "Bailey's pro readiness is a major reason this pick ranks here."
While Arvell Reese ranks higher on Miller's big board, he is a big fan of the Bailey pick as he'll help the Jets right away.
Lastly, the Ponds pick rounds out the Jets' top-10 presence, as the 50th overall selection in the Indiana cornerback is a good pickup for the Jets defense that needs to force an interception badly in 2026.
But, with Ponds' NFL comparison being Aaron Glenn, and some good value at this draft slot, the Jets' pick of Ponds was one of the top-10 best selections according to Miller.