David Bailey | Edge
Texas Tech | Senior
David Bailey earned 1st-Team Associated Press All-American honors and was named Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year in 2025 after recording 52 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks at Texas Tech, tying for the FBS lead in sacks and ranking second nationally in tackles for loss. He transferred from Stanford, where he led the team in tackles for loss and sacks in both 2023 and 2024, including an eight-TFL, seven-sack season in 2024 while ranking fourth in the FBS with five forced fumbles. Bailey earned Freshman All-American honors at Stanford in 2022 after starting nine games. He finished his collegiate career with 163 tackles, 42 tackles for loss, 29 sacks and 10 forced fumbles.
### **David Bailey's Combine Results**
**Height**: 6-4 | **Weight**: 251 | **Arms**: 33 3/4 | **Hands**: 10 1/4
**40-yard Dash**: 4.5 | **10-yard Split**: 1.62 | **Vertical Jump**: 35
**Broad Jump**: 10-9 | **3-Cone**: DNP | **20-yard Shuttle**: DNP | **Bench Press**: DNP
David Bailey is the #3 overall prospect on Daniel Jeremiah’s Top 50 2.0 (EDGE1) and is Bucky Brooks’ 2nd-ranked EDGE on his By Position 1.0. Bailey (4.50) ran the fastest 40-yard dash among defensive linemen at the 2026 Combine and was the 14th DL at the Combine since 2003 to run a 4.50 or faster. Bailey measured and tested very similarly to 2024 defensive rookie of the year Jared Verse.
### **Lance Zierlein on** **David Bailey****:**
"Bailey is extremely hard for linemen to stay in front of. He moves like a slashing two guard, blending explosiveness and fluidity to slip, bend and flow around blocks from multiple angles. His leverage and lower-body flexion create game-over scenarios once he reaches pocket depth with even a minor lead. He can be stalled when a blocker latches his hands in deep, but Bailey’s elusiveness and suddenness make clean clamps a relative rarity. He’s instinctive with natural mid-rush counters, but he must continue developing hand usage and crafting rush plans for when protection shifts his way. Teams can run at Bailey due to his lack of anchor and take-on presence, but his work-around quickness will also lead to tackles for loss. His draft grade is slightly tempered by a lack of desired size/length, but the explosiveness and athletic talent is truly elite. His sack production should carry over to the NFL as an odd-front rush linebacker with Pro Bowl upside."
[David Bailey's Full 2026 NFL Draft Profile](https://www.nfl.com/prospects/david-bailey/32004241-4917-4187-f5f2-d73d4d397b2f)