3 Jets picks land in Matt Miller’s top 10 of 2026 NFL Draft appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The New York Jets have not typically been known to perform well in the NFL Draft, but they seem to have made the most of their opportunities in 2026. One analyst views a trio of their picks as the best of the entire draft, rating David Bailey, Omar Cooper Jr. and D’Angelo Ponds as three of his best value selections.
The Jets’ rookies have to prove themselves on the field, but Bailey, Cooper and Ponds are each poised to be elite year-one contributors , according to ESPN’s Matt Miller. The draft analyst graded Cooper as his fifth-best pick of the draft, with Bailey at No. 6 and Ponds at No. 8.
The Jets traded up to get Cooper at No. 30, which Miller views as one of the best moves of the draft. He called Cooper “exceptional” value at that spot, considering it would have been a fine pick at No. 16, and New York only relinquished a fifth-round pick to move up from No. 33.
Miller viewed the Jets’ first pick, taking Bailey second overall, as a smart move due to the edge-rusher’s “pro readiness.” Although he admittedly rated Arvell Reese as a better prospect, he believes Bailey is more ready to contribute as a high-end edge-rusher off the bat.
The Jets bounced back and forth between Bailey and Reese for weeks before finally deciding on the Texas Tech product as a “better fit” for their team. Miller seems to agree.
As for Ponds, whom the Jets grabbed in the second round, Miller called the Indiana cornerback one of his “favorite players” of the class. Almost everyone compared him to Aaron Glenn before the draft , and the ESPN analyst believes pairing the two will get the most out of Ponds, who plays much bigger than his 5-foot-9 frame indicates.
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