Imagine John Harbaugh ferociously jumping out of his chair — in a way only a rocket strapped to his backside could produce. Now, come to grips with the idea that imagination isn’t required, because that’s precisely what happened.
Harbaugh wasted no time after the Tennessee Titans selected Carnell Tate No. 4 overall on Thursday night.
Arvell Reese, who fell to the New York Giants at No. 5 in the 2026 NFL draft, raises an interesting reminder for all who claim to love football…
Great organizations and coaches have a knack for avoiding the rake.
Everybody’s surely acquainted with the rake in reference — the one carelessly lying in the grass, random, albeit perfectly placed in a way bystanders cannot help but step on in accidental fashion.
Stepping on this rake, which forces the handle to swiftly rise, smacking one in the noggin, is akin to many NFL organizations overthinking their draft decisions. The likes of Harbaugh don’t fall under this category. Others absolutely do.
Meanwhile, where the New York Jets land remains to be seen, but it would not surprise anyone if a nasty red mark is seen on their forehead — until proven otherwise.
Best available player
While Harbaugh and the Giants needed the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, and Tennessee Titans to all pass on Reese, that’s not the only factor involved. The Jints also had to graciously accept the gift that was the best player in the draft.
Remember, this is a team already loaded at the same position Reese plays. Veteran Brian Burns, sophomore Abdul Carter, and the dangling Kayvon Thibodeaux are all employed at edge.
The moment the Giants drafted Reese was seemingly the instant that word began trickling down that Reese would start at the off-ball linebacker position, while they also use him at edge. In reality, and this is the most important part of the entire equation: It simply does not matter where he plays.
Harbaugh understands what’s truly critical here: selecting the best player. Period. It’s in that regard that has a significant chunk of football fandom scratching their heads at the David Bailey selection.
Reese is, by far, the superior football player.
Harbaugh knew it. It’s why he wasted no time getting the pick in, despite already employing a crowded edge room.
Fit
Whether or not the Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals knew it as well remains a mystery. The Cards selected Jeremiyah Love No. 3, whereas the Titans stunned the league by drafting Carnell Tate No. 4.
Some would argue Reese’s fall to No. 5 justifies the Jets’ decision at No. 2. Most, however, would understand that rationale is dependent upon two coaches the Jets fired — Mike LaFleur and Robert Saleh — bringing a wealth of NFL draft success to the table, and thus, providing confidence in bypassing Reese.
The two former Jets coaches simply have no credentials to speak of in that realm. Harbaugh, on the other hand, features a far prouder trophy case.
The Jets’ reasoning behind the Bailey pick is noteworthy. Well, at least one part of Aaron Glenn’s rationale stuck out like a sore thumb.
“Both of those guys are really good players,” is how Glenn started his post-Round 1 presser. “Arvell is going to have a really good career in this league. But when you just continue to evaluate those guys, we just felt like Bailey fit us better.”
That last part is ripe for consumption.
“We just felt like Bailey fit us better.”
In other words, that does not mean Bailey is the better football player. Wouldn’t a draftee love to hear that his own coach thinks he’s the better player?
New sheriff in town?
“He’s a 6-foot-4, 255-pound man with 34-inch arms, who has a ton of production in college,” Glenn added. “Listen, we looked at all those things, and he fits us.”
How?
How does Bailey fit a Glenn-led team exactly? This is a head coach who firmly believes in physical football and violence. He believes in instincts and football IQ, and has preached defensive versatility as recently as this offseason.
These are all areas in which Bailey cannot hold Reese’s jock.
At No. 16, the Jets selected another non-violent player in tight end Kenyon Sadiq, whose inline blocking prowess is anything but quality. Again, like Bailey, Sadiq is nearly a pure finesse prospect, something Glenn has avoided, particularly in free agency last month.
Could the final voice have shifted in Jets land? Instead of Glenn holding court at the top of the food chain, could Darren Mougey’s analytics department now be leading the charge?
In Jints land, the shift appears to be trending in the other direction.
Avoiding the rake
Harbaugh guided the Giants around the rake Thursday night. By graciously accepting the gift that was Reese, coupled with the post-Round 1 presser in which general manager Joe Schoen parroted Harbaugh’s lead, the Giants seemingly have a true football boss in charge.
They did it again just five picks later when Francisco Mauigoa was selected at No. 10.
Later in the night, the always well-run Baltimore Ravens didn’t punk themselves at No. 14 overall. The best offensive lineman in the class, Penn State guard Vega Ioane, fell to them, and they obliged.
Just two picks later, Mougey and Glenn faced a tough decision at No. 16. While we already know which direction they went, the player they left on the board ultimately turned into another gift-wrapped goodie.
Howie Roseman wasn’t willing to allow Makai Lemon to fall one more spot. After the Carolina Panthers passed on him, the Philadelphia Eagles traded up to draft Lemon at No. 20.
So, let’s recap: Two extremely well-run organizations and a Super Bowl-winning head coach combined on these selections, most of which consist of prospects who fell in the draft:
- 5. Arvell Reese (NYG)
- 10. Francisco Mauigoa (NYG)
- 14. Vega Ioane (BAL)
- 20. Makai Lemon (PHI)
Graciously accepting gifts in the NFL draft is just as important as executing the legwork.
The story to unfold
We have the fearful, the bold, and the story to unfold.
On one hand, there’s no proof to claim the Jets were scared of selecting the better player at No. 2. The rationale instead is led by a “better fit.” Yet the entire media machine’s narrative surrounding Reese and Bailey was driven by utter nonsense.
In no football universe is Bailey the “safer” pick, nor is he more “ready” to produce on day one. Sure, the Jets have their reasons, yet it’s simultaneously tough to ignore the overarching themes of the night.
Did the Jets outhink themselves at No. 2? Was this move made purely in the name of immediate production, no matter how correct or incorrect that idea actually is, when evaluating the two players?
Did the Cardinals value name-brand value and excitement most? One could certainly argue it with a rookie head coach and an owner whose fingerprints are always rumored to be firmly on the football operation.
Did Robert Saleh overcompensate in the opposite direction of his defensive-first edict with the Jets that left him scarred? Or, maybe a hopeful franchise quarterback in Cam Ward was too much pressure to ignore.
Nobody knows the answers to those questions. We can, however, recognize a quality head coach and organization when we see it, and it’s an uncontroversial idea (thanks to a body of work that cannot be disputed).
It’s that idea that should scare Jets fans.
On high alert
When John Harbaugh leaps out of his seat like hot coal is burning his backside, and the Eagles accept a gift basket full of lemons at No. 20, at the bare minimum, one eyebrow should be lifted at least a little.
Had somebody else been running the Jets’ war room, Arvell Reese and Makai Lemon would have been chosen, with pick No. 33 in tow, eying incremental assets in a potential trade-down.
The fearful are certainly involved. The bold are also among the mix. And maybe, just maybe, Glenn was correct when he said both players will have great NFL careers.
But guess what?
Woody Johnson and the New York Jets will now have to watch Arvell Reese do it in their very own neighborhood. The story to unfold will be a dandy. Hopefully, David Bailey can pen one of similar quality on the green side of town.
Only then can we officially assign which characters of this plot deserve the “fearful” and “bold” tags.
But if anybody believes the far superior football player the New York Jets passed on at No. 2 is destined to fade into darkness, as an out-of-sight, out-of-mind football figure in elsewhere land, think again.
