As the New York Jets trudge forward this offseason, with the next event on the docket titled “Rookie Minicamp,” 2026 NFL draft fallout continues to leak our way. The latest dropping of an opinion comes from WFAN host Joe Benigno, who just so happens to be one of the most hardened, diehard, and painfully experienced Jets fans on this planet.

Perhaps the decade of pain is affecting certain faculties because his latest analysis is a doozy. Beningo was quick to make it crystal clear that he’s expecting Hall of Fame-level production from No. 2 overall pick David Bailey.

Absurd expectations

“I love Bailey,” is how Benigno started his bold proclamation on The Jake Asman Show. “I expect Bailey — and let’s not sugarcoat this at all — I expect Bailey to be Myles Garrett. I expect Bailey to be Bruce Smith.”

Bro… Bruce Smith? Myles Garrett? What (while saying it in a familiar Joe B. tone)?!

Bailey, 22, emerged as the winner of the bout that pitted him against Ohio State defender Arvell Reese. For several months, the debate over who the Jets would select second overall raged.

Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn put all questions to bed when they made the Texas Tech product their guy on the night of Thursday, April 23, 2026. At the same time, the debate over who they should have selected will last for years.

For Benigno, a man who remembers Joe Namath’s triumph that helped set the stage for the all-powerful modern National Football League, the Jets could do no wrong this time around. He told Asman that he loved everything they did, while waxing poetic about the Bailey selection in particular.

Benigno almost went as far as to raise the name of Lawrence Taylor, while on the topic of pro football expectations for the Jets’ freshest edge defender.

“This guy was the second overall pick in the draft,” Benigno added. “Ya know? Dare I say Lawrence Taylor, (but) I don’t really want to say that; I don’t want to compare anybody to him, but that’s the kind of player — when you’re the second pick, overall, in the draft, especially in a year there was a big quarterback who went No. 1 — you better be that kind of guy.

“And I expect Bailey to be that. I expect Bailey to be Myles Garrett — that kind of player, a Hall of Fame-caliber player.”

Again, bro.

Understandable sentiment, incorrect prototype

On one hand, the Jets fan wholly understands Benigno’s sentiment.

The No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft is deemed as rarefied air and must be treated as such. Therefore, it’s only reasonable to expect greatness from a No. 2 overall selection.

On the other hand, not all football players are created equal. More importantly, not all edge defenders are built from the same mold.

Bruce Smith was a bona fide game wrecker from every football angle when the Buffalo Bills selected him No. 1 overall in 1985. Smith’s Virginia Tech tape featured him dominating at an absurd level in every football situation.

Myles Garrett, weighing over 270 when entering the league, is a much bigger man than Bailey, and thus, has always been a more destructive force from an all-around perspective. As far as Lawrence Taylor is concerned, well, sheesh, if anybody from this draft class has a chance to be that once-in-a-million guy, it’s the kid who slipped to John Harbaugh at No. 5.

Hall of Fame caliber or not, Smith and Garrett aren’t the right comparisons for Bailey, whose game is more finesse-driven and freelancing. In a way, Bailey’s game is entirely specialized, something the Jets’ coaching staff is keen on changing.

The likes of Brian Burns and Nik Bonitto are much more realistic prototypes for David Bailey, and the chances are solid that the bulk of New York Jets fandom would sign for that successful comparison by the time the 2026 season concludes.