Top-30 visits are all the rage in the NFL nowadays. Organizations around the league use them for a final look and interview with prospects, often to answer lingering questions they may have about the player.

For the New York Jets, top-30 visits have been important under their new leadership. Armand Membou and Mason Taylor, the Jets’ first two draft picks in 2025, both visited the team during this window.

That’s why it raised eyebrows when SNY reported the Jets were canceling an interview with Texas Tech product David Bailey. Considered a betting favorite to be chosen second overall, New York’s spurning of him shocked those around the league.

Are fans right to make this a big deal, though? Why would the Jets cancel a visit with a top prospect?

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Jets canceled the visit because they “had all the information they already needed on David Bailey” and “felt there was no reason for a visit.”

That could only lead us to two trains of thought.

It’s a done deal

The first option is that the Jets have already loved what they have seen from David Bailey and don’t need to learn anything else. He’s the most polished pass rusher in the draft after he led the country with 14.5 sacks.

Bailey was one of the more destructive forces in college football last season. Everything on tape is there for the Jets to see, and that may mean they don’t need to check in with him as much as someone else on their list.

But as good as Bailey was during his collegiate career, there are still questions about his off-field status and maturity that are going to follow him.

Last season, he got into a physical altercation with a photographer, in which the latter filed a police report against Bailey. In fairness, Bailey did apologize with the following statement after the game.

“I apologize to the photographer and the fans. That’s not who I am as a person. My emotions got the best of me in the moment after a tough loss. I will use this opportunity to learn and get better. I consider the matter resolved,” he said.

That wasn’t the only skeleton in his closet, though. In 2024, he stomped on the face of a player, for which he was ejected from the game.

Now, maybe the Jets don’t care about those moments of undisciplined play. But it would behoove the team to address it with the player to ensure it doesn’t happen at the NFL level. Canceling a meeting despite those concerns brings us to the second option.

Reese is the one

The only other logical reason for canceling a top-30 visit with a potential No. 2 pick is if the team has already settled on someone else. In this case, that would be Ohio State phenom Arvell Reese.

Unlike Bailey, Reese is more of an unfinished product as a pass rusher. He’s still only 20 years old and was used all over the field for the Buckeyes last season.

As he develops his pass rushing (something Ohio State never coached him on), New York could use Reese as a versatile defensive weapon. In time, the hope is that he becomes a similar all-around game wrecker to someone like Micah Parsons.

Unlike Bailey, the Jets brought in Reese for a top-30 visit. Maybe that’s simply smoke and mirrors.

But again, last season, they used their first-round pick on a player they met with on a top-30 visit (Membou). If the team is focused on ensuring they understand all the details, then canceling the meeting with Bailey makes no sense… unless they have already decided to choose someone else.