David Bailey is going to get his trip to Florham Park, N.J., after all. 

The Jets selected the Texas Tech edge rusher with the No. 2 overall pick Thursday night, ending months of speculation about whether the Jets would select Bailey or Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese. 

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The Jets made news by canceling Bailey’s predraft visit to their training center in Florham Park. That move was seen by some as an indication the Jets were not interested in taking Bailey. But it appears it meant nothing as Jets head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey are betting on Bailey with the No. 2 pick. 

“I saw all the mock drafts, but I mean, I never really know how reliable those are,” Bailey said. “But I had a great, great interaction with them at the [NFL scouting] combine. Obviously, they canceled the 30 visit, but other than that, man, I had great FaceTimes with Mougey and everybody.” 

Bailey was the first of three picks in the first round for the Jets. They selected Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq at No. 16. They traded back into the first round and drafted Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. with the No. 30 pick. They sent the No. 33 pick (second round) and No. 179 (fifth round) to the 49ers for the 30th pick. It is the third time in team history they had at least three first-round picks, having done it before in 2000 (four picks) and 2022. 

“When you have targets — guys you identify, guys you love — you go get them,” Glenn said. “That’s exactly what we did today. Anytime you bring guys with a winning background onto your team, that only helps the morale. To get three first-round picks in the caliber of guys we got, with the personality, the mentality, the football character — all those things are huge when you bring them into a locker room.” 

Bailey, who will turn 23 in August, is viewed as a better pure pass rusher than Reese. Bailey led the FBS with 14.5 sacks and a 21.3 percent pressure rate for the Red Raiders last year. He was second in the FBS with 19.5 tackles for loss and 81 pressures. 

For weeks, it was debated whether the Jets would take Bailey or Reese. The Jets said they reached the decision in the past few days to take Bailey. 

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“Both of those guys are really good players,” Glenn said. “Arvell is going to have a really good career in this league. When you continue to evaluate those guys, we just felt Bailey fit us better. He’s a [6-foot-4, 251-pound] man with 34-inch arms that had a ton of production in college. We looked at all those things and he fits us.” 

Bailey is viewed by scouts as an immediate contributor as a a pass rusher. He ran a 4.50-second 40-yard dash and has an explosive first step that gets him around the edge in a hurry. He started his college career at Stanford and transferred to Texas Tech last year. Bailey graduated from Stanford in less than four years with a degree in science, technology and society. 

Bailey said he did not know what to think when the Jets canceled his visit. 

“I didn’t know if it was like an unusual thing to do, but I was still confident in the interactions that I had with them at the combine and I felt good with them,” Bailey said. “I know they had their reasons for doing that. So, you know, I was just trusting my agent and trusting the process.” 

The question about Bailey is how well he will hold up against the run. The Jets already have a similar player in 2023 first-round pick Will McDonald IV. Can they have two players who are designated pass rushers but liabilities against the run? We’ll find out. 

“I think I can always improve, even if it comes to pass rusher, I can always improve,” Bailey said, “but playing the run, I feel like I do have the ability to play the run. I know I have the ability to play the run. There’s obviously clips that you play where you question it, but then there’s also clips that show up on tape where you’re like, yeah, you can play the run.” 

The Jets now have Bailey, McDonald, Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare at edge rusher. Glenn is taking over the defense this year and is expected to run more 3-4 looks than the Jets did last year. Bailey should see plenty of time lining up on the edge and rushing the passer.