David Bailey LB/EDGE Texas Tech |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #31 PLAY STYLE: EDGE OLB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 02/27/2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.50 seconds (94%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 22.11 DOB: 08/28/2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #31 | |
| PLAY STYLE: EDGE OLB | |
| Last Updated: 02/27/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 4.50 seconds (94%*) | |
| Age: 22.11 DOB: 08/28/2003 | |
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |
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| Overall Rating: | 89.7 / 100 | |
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| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
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72% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Tackling: |
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87% |
| Pass Rush: |
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100% |
| Run Defense: |
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84% |
| Coverage: |
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95% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
1st - Top 5
Overall Rank:
#5
Position rank:
#1 (LB)
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| College Games: 48 College Snaps: 1765 | ||
ESPN RATING: 83/100
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247 RATING: 97/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.9 (97%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Turner - Alabama |
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76% |
| Derick Hall - Auburn |
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62% |
| Chris Braswell - Alabama |
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59% |
Drafted: ROUND: 1 - Pick Number: 2 (NYJ)
Draft Profile: Bio
David Bailey grew up in Orange, California before becoming a household name at Mater Dei High School, arguably the premier football factory on the West Coast. As a senior, Bailey terrorized opposing offenses with 20.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks while leading the Monarchs to a perfect 12-0 record and the California Open Division State Championship. His dominance earned him CalHiSports Defensive Player of the Year, Orange County Defensive Player of the Year, Trinity League Defensive Player of the Year, and a spot in the prestigious All-American Bowl. The recruiting services took notice: 247Sports ranked him the 33rd overall prospect nationally and the No. 3 edge rusher in the country, while he landed as a consensus four-star and the first player left off 247's five-star list with a 0.97 grade. His older brother DJ had played defensive end at Harvard, but David chose Stanford over Alabama and Penn State.Bailey wasted no time making an impact in Palo Alto. He started nine games as a true freshman in 2022, racking up 46 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss while earning True Freshman All-American honors from 247Sports and the Stanford Outstanding Freshman award. His sophomore campaign brought team-leading numbers in both tackles for loss (6.0) and sacks (5.0), including a three-sack outburst against Hawaii. The junior season cemented his status as one of college football's elite pass rushers: seven sacks, 31 tackles, and five forced fumbles that ranked fourth nationally, along with a 93.2 pass-rush grade from Pro Football Focus that topped every player in the country. He also completed his bachelor's degree in Science, Technology and Science in under four years while making the ACC Academic Team. Career totals at Stanford across 33 games: 111 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, and seven forced fumbles.
When Troy Taylor was fired and the coaching staff turned over, Bailey entered the transfer portal as the crown jewel available and landed at Texas Tech with one of the richest NIL deals in college football history. The investment paid immediate dividends. Bailey dominated the Big 12, finishing with 13.5 sacks (second nationally, first among power four schools), 17.5 tackles for loss (tied for third nationally), and 52 total tackles while helping propel the Red Raiders into the College Football Playoff. He recorded a sack in 10 of 13 games, including a season-high three against Kansas that earned him four weekly awards. His collection of honors reads like a greatest hits album: consensus All-American, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year, Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year, Lombardi Award Finalist, Bednarik Award Semifinalist, and invitee to the Senior Bowl. Bruce Feldman placed him on the College Football Freaks List after Bailey posted a 405-pound bench press, 550-pound squat, and hit 22.16 mph on GPS tracking.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Possesses freakish first-step explosion that wins reps before offensive tackles can get their hands up, consistently beating the snap with timing that disrupts blocking schemes from the jump.
- Rare athletic profile backs up the tape: 405 bench, 550 squat, 22.16 mph speed at 250 pounds creates a physical specimen that translates directly to NFL-caliber athleticism.
- Builds speed through his rush like a car shifting gears, gaining momentum and reaching top-end velocity that makes him nearly impossible to recover against once he gains the corner.
- Natural hip flexibility allows him to shrink-wrap around the pocket with legitimate bend, getting his pad level low enough to slip underneath anchor attempts from bigger tackles.
- Flashes a legitimate counter arsenal including ghost moves, inside spins, long-arms, and rips that keep blockers guessing and prevent them from sitting on his speed rush.
- Ball disruption skills show up on film and in the stat sheet with seven career forced fumbles, demonstrating an ability to affect games beyond just getting to the quarterback.
- Coverage aptitude surprised evaluators with instinctive zone drops and proper depth awareness, showing legitimate three-down potential rather than just passing-down specialist upside.
- Relentless motor chases plays from the backside with urgency that coaches love, squeezing pursuit angles and making tackles 20 yards down the field when slower rushers give up.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Frame appears maxed out around 250 pounds with Stanford listing him at 238 just a year ago, raising concerns about whether he can add functional mass to handle NFL power schemes.
- Gets displaced at the point of attack when blockers arrive square with bad intentions, struggling to hold his ground and maintain gap integrity against quality run blocking.
- Anchor strength remains a legitimate concern as he lacks the base to consistently convert speed-to-power when tackles get hands inside his frame at the NFL level.
- Zone-read concepts catch him in no-man's land with indecisive reads, creating exploitable windows for both quarterbacks keeping and backs hitting the designed lane.
- Over-aggressive pursuit leads to vacated gaps and missed assignments when discipline breaks down, leaving cutback lanes that experienced NFL runners will feast on.
Scouting Report: Summary
Bailey's first step is among the best in this class, and once he clears the corner, quarterbacks are in serious trouble. The 13.5 sacks and 23.4% pressure rate he posted against Big 12 competition tell you everything about his ability to finish: this isn't a guy who generates heat without results. His counter game still needs polish, particularly with hand timing and inside moves to punish oversets, but the foundation of athleticism and instincts gives you something real to build on. NFL pass-rush coaches will drool over the raw tools.Here's the deal: Bailey isn't walking into a building and playing every down from Week One. The run defense tape shows a player who gets moved off spots, loses leverage battles, and takes himself out of plays chasing rather than fitting. That's workable in sub-packages where you're asking him to pin his ears back and hunt, but defensive coordinators will need to protect him on early downs until he adds functional strength and learns to play with better pad level. The coverage skills open doors for creative deployment where he's not anchoring against lead blocks but creating chaos rushing the passer or dropping into zones.
Teams running odd fronts will see an outside linebacker who can wreck game plans on third down while developing into more. Even-front defenses can deploy him as a situational rusher who rotates in obvious passing situations and contributes as a designated pass-rush weapon. The athletic testing, production against quality competition, and finishing ability all point to a player who can become a consistent double-digit sack producer at the next level once the supporting elements catch up to the pass-rush talent. He profiles best in an organization willing to let him develop without asking him to carry early-down responsibilities before he's ready.
Written By:
Lennox Tate
David Bailey percentiles vs other Linebackers (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate David Bailey (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
11.4
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
2.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.