David Bailey NFL Draft 2026 Scouting Report for New York Jets Edge

Matt HolderOct 12, 2025

The New York Jets selected Texas Tech Edge David Bailey with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

David Bailey is an impressive athlete, who has a deep bag of pass-rush moves to be a significant contributor on third downs in the NFL.

Bailey is a 6'3", 250-pound edge defender prospect who originally went to Stanford as a 4-star recruit in the 2022 class. He was an immediate starter for the Cardinal, racking up 46 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks as a freshman to be named a true freshman All-American by 247Sports.

In 2023, Bailey accumulated 34 tackles, six TFLs and five sacks before logging 31 tackles, eight TFLs and seven sacks as a junior. However, he did not receive any postseason honors in those seasons and transferred to Texas Tech in 2025.

The former Red Raider recorded 52 tackles, 19.5 TFLs and 14.5 sacks (led FBS) to earn unanimous All-American honors and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award.

Matt Holder has been a part of B/R's Scouting Department for four seasons. He also writes about the Las Vegas Raiders and NFL draft for SB Nation's Silver and Black Pride, and co-hosts a YouTube Channel, Tape Don't Lie, providing film breakdowns and more draft prospect analysis.

Highlights

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Scroll down for the complete scouting report.

Where He Wins

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- Impressive athlete who is quick-twichted and has very smooth/easy change of direction skills to beat offensive linemen across faces.

- Good acceleration off the line of scrimmage to win around the edge with speed.

- Bailey uses his hands well as a pass-rusher, showing quick and active hands to "defeat the hands, defeat the man" against offensive tackles.

- Shown several pass-rush moves that he can with: hand swipe, rip, ghost rush, inside spin and long-arm.

- Good bend to corner at the top of the rush.

- Very agile to be an effective looper in line games, he can gain ground vertically while moving laterally.

Areas of Improvement

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- Slightly undersized to be a full-time edge defender in the NFL, Stanford had Bailey listed at 238 pounds in 2024, meaning he has already put on 13 pounds and might have maxed out his frame.

- Lacks the strength to be an effective run defender; he struggles to get extension on blocks and has skinny legs, which makes setting the edge against offensive linemen difficult.

- Not very physical at the point of attack.

- Has a habit of working around blocks, even against tight ends, often vacating his gap.

- Doesn't have the mass and strength to effectively turn speed to power against good competition.