The New York Jets earned praise from ESPN NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. following the 2026 NFL Draft.

The Jets made three picks in the first round of this year's draft, adding pass rusher David Bailey, tight end Kenyon Sadiq and finishing with receiver Omar Cooper Jr. after a trade up.

In the end, Kiper gave the Jets a grade of A-minus for their overall haul at the draft. Only four teams ranked ahead of Gang Green in Kiper's grades.

Let's flash back to 2022, when the Jets had two picks in Round 1 and ended up making three selections -- Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson and Jermaine Johnson. Only one of those players is still with the team, and one of them was actually traded for one of the Jets' first-rounders this year, but we're running it back. New York added three playmakers on Day 1, starting with David Bailey.

I made the case that this should have been Arvell Reese because of his high upside. But Bailey brings tangible production to the table, having led the nation in pressure rate (20.4%) en route to 14.5 sacks -- which also tied for the most among all FBS players. He's a bendy 251-pounder with 4.5 speed that allows him to get on top of QBs quickly. Johnson is in Tennessee now, so the Jets needed a real presence opposite Will McDonald IV. They were 31st in sacks last season with 26.

New York went with offense at Nos. 16 and 30. The Jets used a second-round pick on Mason Taylor last year at tight end (44 catches in Year 1), but that didn't stop them from jumping on Kenyon Sadiq in the middle of Round 1. It wasn't the most obvious need, and I had zeroed this one in on receiver Makai Lemon. But Sadiq is going to be used all over the formation and is basically a big receiver when he's flexed out. He ran a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash and jumped 43½ inches in the vertical jump at 241 pounds. He can box out cornerbacks and safeties and outrun linebackers, so it's no surprise that he's terrific after the catch.

This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. grades Jets' 2026 NFL Draft