2026 NFL Draft: How One Key Question Changed David Bailey’s NFL Future

When David Bailey arrived in Lubbock last season after three years at Stanford, Texas Tech’s coaches studied his film and had a thought that changed his career trajectory: 

What if we make him a true defensive end? 

It was obvious that Bailey had pass-rush talent, but Stanford utilized it more situationally. He played off the ball some. He dropped into coverage. Stanford was doing “a bunch of things” with him, according to Red Raiders coach Joey McGuire.

So Texas Tech decided to simplify things with Bailey.

“We just believe if you’ve got a guy that has a special whatever his trait is, then let him do that,” McGuire told me by phone. “Let him go and rush the passer in as many different ways that we can get, versus ‘OK, he’s going to fit in this and he’s going to have to drop in this defense.’ 

“If David Bailey’s gotta drop in the defense, I don’t think that’s a really good defensive call,” McGuire added. “We can get somebody else to do that.”

Stanford linebacker David Bailey pressures then-Cal QB Fernando Mendoza during a game in 2024. After both players transferred, they could be the top two picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. (Photo by Thien-An Truong/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

That vision paid off, as Bailey tied the FBS lead with 14.5 sacks and ranked second with 19.5 tackles for loss in 2025, his lone year at Texas Tech — more than doubling his numbers in both categories from his final season at Stanford. His sack mark last season matched his three-year total with the Cardinal. 

The eye-popping production is partially why the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Bailey is considered by many league observers to be the best pure edge rusher in the 2026 NFL Draft, where he could go as high as No. 2 overall to the New York Jets.  

For McGuire, that’s not even up for debate. 

“If you are taking a defensive player with your first pick — whoever that is — and you don’t take David Bailey, you really need to go back through your process,” McGuire told me. “If the Jets are taking a defensive player, there’s no way I’m passing on David Bailey.”

Texas Tech defensive coordinator Shiel Wood saw a “maturation process” take place with Bailey in Lubbock.

He acclimated to the play-in, play-out physicality of the run game. He played different alignments and techniques. He learned how to take on double teams and different blocking schemes. How to counter and react to chipping running backs and tight ends. 

According to Wood, Bailey’s “defining moment” came against Houston on Oct. 4, when he had two sacks and three tackles for loss (both season-highs to the point) and forced his first fumble of the season in a 35-11 win. 

“I think it all started to kind of come together [in that game],” Wood told me over the phone. “Like ‘OK, I know what I’m doing now. I’ve got confidence in my technique. And now I’m gonna just let it go.’ And I think you saw some moments in that game where he really just let it go. From a physicality standpoint, he was able to finish on the quarterback aggressively. And then I think that game catapulted him into continuing on in that manner the rest of the year.”

Bailey closes in on Oregon QB Dante Moore during the College Football Playoff quarterfinal in January. In the game, Bailey had nine tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and two passes defensed. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

From the beginning of his time with Texs Tech, Bailey sought out extra drills and training. During a break in May, he stayed around the team facility. He frequented the training room for recovery. He fine-tuned his pass-rush technique and moves on the sled. Younger Texas Tech defenders stayed to work out with him. 

Coaches had to figure out how to pull back the reins on Bailey. 

“We really got to the point where like in the summer, we’re like, ‘Hey, David, you need to take a day off, man. Your body needs to recover,’” Wood told me. “He goes out there and he battles and doesn’t really have any kind of regard for his own safety and body. He just wants to go out there and battle and play through pain and just find a way to ultimately come out on top.”

McGuire marveled at Bailey’s “high football IQ,” too. How he grasped both the field and boundary end/outside linebacker positions in the Red Raiders’ defense, which have different responsibilities, without needing many reps. He understood the scheme holistically. 

And that’s on top of “elite” traits. His bend. How he attacks offensive tackles. How big and strong his hands are.

[The Book on Texas Tech Edge David Bailey] 

With another year in Texas Tech’s defense, the coach said, “You probably see 15 to 17” sacks. 

“I don’t even know if we scratched the surface of what he can do and what he can be,” McGuire told me. 

That’s for whichever NFL drafts him to confirm.