- An Explosive pass-rusher: David Bailey‘s get-off, upfield burst and closing speed are unmatched in this class, and they set the table for his tantalizing pass-rush ability.
- Not without warts: Despite being one of the top edge defenders in this year's draft, Bailey does need refinement to become the player that his likely draft capital proposes him to be.
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Estimated Reading Time: 13 minutes
The athleticism versus production debate never really goes away in draft evaluation. Traits matter, as burst, bend and closing speed can separate the good NFL edge defenders from the great ones. However, when the production doesn’t match the testing profile, that player's projection turns into guesswork, especially when it comes to projecting them against NFL tackles who are much more explosive and far more technically refined.
Nonetheless, every class produces a prospect who doesn’t force you to pick a side — player whose athleticism shows up on tape while his impact shows up on the stat sheet.
In the 2026 NFL Draft, Texas Tech edge defender David Bailey is that player.
Bailey is an analytical evaluator's dream, as he led the nation in PFF pass-rush grade (93.8) and total pressures during the regular season (73, six more than Miami‘s Rueben Bain Jr. in second place) in addition to finishing with a 96th-percentile pass-rush win rate (22.4%) and 85th-percentile run-stop percentage (9.0%).
Bailey wasn't a one-year wonder, either, as his 27.5% pass-rush win rate with Stanford in 2024 ranked third among the country's edge defenders.
That kind of production is enough to raise eyebrows, but when it coincides with arguably the most explosive athletic traits at his position in the draft, it's easy to see why Bailey is consistently a top-10 pick on NFL draft consensus boards.
Rushing the passer
#TexasTech EDGE David Bailey added 6 more pressures to his 16 total on the season. He’s trending towards a 30% pressure rate, which would put him in RARE company.
— Eric Galko (@EricGalko) September 18, 2025
🎥 Get off, hand swipe, quick bend to win in an instant
HUGE test and must-watch matchup vs. Utah’s elite OTs.… pic.twitter.com/g3AenuLS4s
Bailey's explosive athleticism belies his incredible college production. No other edge defender in this class can replicate Bailey's electric get-off, explosive upfield burst and maniacal closing speed, which enabled the Texas Tech star to consistently stress opposing offensive tackles' pass sets to create openings that he could take advantage of.
The ability to stress an offensive tackle's pass set with speed is important not only because it enables high-side (outside the tackle's outside shoulder) wins, but it also causes the tackle's technique to deteriorate because they are scrambling to beat the edge defender to the intersection point (the midpoint between the edge defender's alignment and where the quarterback ends in his dropback).
This makes it easier for the edge defender to slip (avoid, often called a ghost move) or parry (as seen in the above clip with the swipe) the offensive tackle's punch or initiate contact with power to generate pressure.
Bailey combines his explosiveness with a tenacity and non-stop motor that enabled him to be a menace who consistently made life miserable for the poor quarterbacks who were forced to face the Red Raiders‘ defense.
Bailey's ability to corner and flatten his high-side pass rushes was also a big reason for his elite pass-rush production at Stanford and Texas Tech. But not in the usual way.
Most edge defenders who corner exceedingly well do so because they have elite bend — the ability to turn the corner around the offensive tackle while staying low and taking a tight path to the pocket without losing speed or balance, which usually requires excellent ankle, knee and hip flexibility.
While it would be wrong to say Bailey has poor “bend,” he's certainly not going to be confused with the NFL's Gumby-like pass-rushers, such as Myles Garrett or Von Miller, in that department anytime soon, as Bailey appears to have some stiffness in his ankles, which usually makes it tough to corner at acute angles and maintain balance.
Flexible ankles allow edge rushers to go into extreme dorsiflexion (lifting the foot toward the shin), which enables them to land each step with their whole foot — instead of landing on just the toes. Landing on the full foot creates stability that enables the body to generate the most force and maintain balance through contact (it's much easier to maintain balance when being pushed when your full foot is rooted in the ground rather than just being on your toes. Don't believe me? Try it at home).
Moreover, more flexible ankles allow rushers to corner with greater body lean, making it easier to corner at tight angles. The more upright a player is when cornering, the more they will drift when attempting to flatten to the pocket.
Instead, Bailey does an outstanding job of setting up optimal entry angles into the corner that enable him to efficiently and effectively flatten his rush and attack the pocket. Here's a great example:
CODE RUSH OF THE DAY: Speed Flash Rip by David Bailey
— CodeDLClinic (@CodeDLClinic) January 16, 2026
-31 sells speed off the edge
-Flashes inside hand to the OT
-Transitions to a violent rip to come free
-Finishes with the sack@TexasTechFB 2025 OLB/DL Staff: @CoachAhYou @CoachZFitch & @ColeMaxwell33 #CodeRush pic.twitter.com/oggHKxCMrV
In the above clip, you can see some off the stiffness in Bailey's ankles as the heel on his inside foot rarely touches the ground (indicating some stiffness), but notice that Bailey takes a subtle move wide on his third step, as this enables Bailey to take a more downhill, direct path to the pocket while beginning to turn his hips toward the quarterback, which mitigates the need for flexible ankles because he's not cornering at an acute angle at the apex of his rush.
Additionally, Bailey understands that his incredible get-off and upfield burst create opportunities to win with speed-to-power and inside moves.
Bailey's power certainly isn't his calling card, but his ability to speed-to-power is good enough that tackles must respect it or risk getting put on skates back into the quarterback's lap. Despite having a thinner frame for an edge defender, Bailey can punch above his weight class due to his notable upper-body strength, as he routinely can put offensive tackles on their heel when initiating contact with a bull or long-arm rush toward the end of the season.
David Bailey of @TexasTechFB beats the over-setting blocker inside with a chop/spin for the sack! #PassRush #NFLDraft
— DLineVids (@dlinevids1) October 12, 2025
📸 @Jordan_Reid pic.twitter.com/XIBdzemNHA
Bailey is even better with inside moves after he feints a speed rush up the arc, and his inside spin — which became more and more refined as the 2025 season went along — is particularly potent (above clip). Bailey's ability to quickly and explosively change directions is evident on his inside move, as it almost looks like he teleports inside to beat offensive tackles and attack the pocket.
Nonetheless, Bailey is not a perfect pass-rush prospect by any means, as he does have some warts that, if not fixed, could derail what should be a successful and productive NFL career.
Against college competition, supreme athletic ability can cover up notable technical flaws — ones that could rear their ugly head against more advanced NFL competition.
Bailey's hand technique and footwork both require refinement for Bailey to be optimized as an NFL edge defender. He routinely mistimed his hand technique but was still able to win because he was simply too explosive for the offensive tackle to block on that particular play. Also, he routinely struggled to sequence to a second move when his first was stymied. In the NFL, the top offensive tackles are so good that it requires a second move to be successful because they are so sublime at stopping the first one.
Additionally, Bailey's footwork up the arc was routinely rudimentary, forgoing the stutter and euro steps that most of the best NFL edge defenders use to manipulate offensive tackles into stopping or slowing their feet, creating shorter corners or imbalance in their pass sets.
While Bailey did a good job creating optimal entry angles to the corner, he routinely abstained from manipulating offensive tackles with his footwork, stride length and pace. In the NFL, Bailey won't be able to consistently produce by just relying on his athleticism and effort; he will need to become a more refined technician. There's a reason why Myles Garrett (example) and Micah Parsons (example) routinely utilize manipulative footwork to create advantages despite arguably being the NFL's two most athletic pass-rushers.
Bailey's pass-rush plan also needs to be refined, as he has questionable decision-making on when to use certain moves. For example, will use a spin after feigning a direct bull rush. Spins should be used after threatening the high side because it gets the offensive tackle moving upfield and necessitates the tackle to stop moving outside and get back inside. In contrast, rushing directly at the offensive tackle before the spin enables the offensive tackle to move inside without needing to change direction explosively.
Defending the run
While rushing the passer gets edge defenders paid, their ability to defend the run often sets the table for how many snaps they will get to play in a certain game. In today's NFL, defensive coordinators aren't going to play subpar run defenders on many first and second downs due to the fear that it creates cracks and fissures in the team's run defense.
Bailey's explosive athleticism and non-stop effort allowed him to produce at a high level against the run in 2025 (81.5 run-defense grade in addition to 20 run stops and a 9.0% run-stop rate, 85th percentile among edge defenders in 2025). Bailey was an excellent backside chase defender against zone concepts, and his initial quickness enabled him to penetrate the line of scrimmage to make plays in the backfield.
However, Bailey displays considerable warts despite impressive production when defending the run. Despite possessing a strong initial punch and long arms to create extension to shed blocks, he generally struggled to disengage from blocks when defending the run. In fact, Bailey has a bad habit of relying on his athleticism too much, opting to try to jump around blocks to make plays rather than stacking and shedding blocks at the point of attack. This often caused him to lose gap integrity while causing his pad level to swell, making it difficult for him to win the leverage battle once he was engaged with blockers on the edge.
Bailey must become more technically sound when taking on and discarding blocks. He must do a better job of rooting his feet in the ground to create a stable position that enables him to generate maximal force in addition to improving his block-shedding techniques to get off blocks and become a better and more consistent run defender in the NFL.
Bailey's anchor is also subpar at the moment, as he appears to lack the necessary lower-body strength to anchor against offensive tackle and tight end double teams on the edge, causing him to be easily displaced in these scenarios.
In terms of defending the run, Bailey is a great example of why it's important to study the tape and not just rely on statistics and data to tell the full story of a player's skill set.
Conclusion
Simply put, Bailey is one of the best edge defender prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft, and it’s easy to see why. He offers rare first-step explosiveness, incredible upfield speed and the ability to close like a heat-seeking missile. He has the rare ability to win inside, outside or through opposing offensive tackles, giving him the high-end traits that could be developed into a double-digit-sack-per-year pass-rusher.
That said, he isn’t a finished product. Even with the production and athleticism, his technical inconsistencies — particularly in his hand timing, counter sequencing and pass-rush plan — could limit his ceiling early in his NFL career. And while his run-defense output looks strong on paper, the tape shows areas that NFL offensive lines will test immediately, especially his ability to stack-and-shed and anchor at the point of attack.
Despite earning a late first-round grade, Bailey's ceiling may be higher than any other edge defender in this class. However, it's important to acknowledge that his floor is lower than his top-10 grade on consensus boards would suggest.
If Bailey can become a more consistent technician, he has the talent to become a premier NFL pass rusher. If not, some of those warts may cap him as an impactful but volatile edge defender rather than the every-down cornerstone his draft capital will likely suggest.
Initial Grade: 8.13/Late first round
Editor's note: A prospect's initial grade is generated after watching at least four games and grading the edge defender prospect on 19 different traits; however, it does not take injury history or off-field concerns into account. A prospect's final grade will be scored on the same criteria, except it will include athletic testing and six full games studied.
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