David Bailey
New York Jets
Position Edge rusher
Roster status Unsigned draft pick
Personal information
Born (2003-08-28) August 28, 2003 (age 22)
Orange, California, U.S.
Listed height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight 251 lb (114 kg)
Career information
High school Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California)
College
  • Stanford (2022–2024)
  • Texas Tech (2025)
NFL draft 2026: 1st round, 2nd overall
Career history
  • New York Jets (2026–present)
Awards and highlights
  • Unanimous All-American (2025)
  • Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year (2025)
Stats at Pro Football Reference

David Bailey (born August 28, 2003) is an American professional football edge rusher for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). Bailey played college football for the Stanford Cardinal and Texas Tech Red Raiders and was selected by the Jets second overall in the 2026 NFL draft.

Early life

Bailey attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. As a senior in 2021, he had 54 tackles and 15.5 sacks and was named The Orange County Register' Orange County defensive player of the year.[1] He played in the 2022 All-American Bowl.[2] Bailey committed to Stanford University to play college football.[3]

College career

Bailey entered his true freshman year at Stanford in 2022 as a starter.[4] Overall he played in 11 games with nine starts and had 46 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He returned to Stanford as a starter his sophomore year in 2023.[5][6]

On April 4, 2025, Bailey announced that he would transfer to Texas Tech.[7] He ended the 2025 college football season tied with Nadame Tucker of the Western Michigan Broncos for the most sacks in the FBS, with 14.5.[8]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span Wingspan 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 3+5⁄8 in
(1.92 m)		 251 lb
(114 kg)		 33+3⁄4 in
(0.86 m)		 10+1⁄4 in
(0.26 m)		 6 ft 7+3⁄4 in
(2.03 m)		 4.50 s 1.62 s 2.67 s 35.0 in
(0.89 m)		 10 ft 9 in
(3.28 m)
All values from NFL Combine[9][10]

Bailey was selected by the New York Jets in the first round, second overall, of the 2026 NFL draft.[11]

Career statistics

College

Legend
Led NCAA Division I FBS
Bold Career high
Season Team GP Tackles Fumbles
Cmb Solo Ast TFL Sck PD FF FR TD
2022 Stanford 10 46 29 17 8.5 2.5 0 2 0 0
2023 Stanford 10 34 22 12 6.0 5.0 0 0 0 0
2024 Stanford 12 31 22 9 8.0 7.0 1 5 0 0
2025 Texas Tech 14 52 32 20 19.5 14.5 3 3 1 0
Career 46 163 105 58 42.0 29.0 4 10 1 0

References

  1. ^ "All-Orange County Football: Mater Dei's David Bailey is the defensive player of the year". The Orange County Register. December 20, 2021.
  2. ^ Ramos, Gus (November 30, 2021). "Linebacker David Bailey Will be Honored as a 2022 All-American as Part of All-American Bowl's Road to the Dome Tour". NBC Sports. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
  3. ^ "Football Signing Day: Mater Dei LB David Bailey makes it official with Stanford". The Orange County Register. December 16, 2021.
  4. ^ "Stanford freshman Bailey making impact after enrolling early". The Mercury News. November 4, 2022.
  5. ^ "Stanford eyes defensive revival under new coordinator: 'Football man like crazy'". San Francisco Chronicle.
  6. ^ "Oregon football aims to fend off Stanford's David Bailey, one of the Pac-12′s top edge defenders". The Oregonian. September 29, 2023.
  7. ^ Olson, Max (April 4, 2025). "Texas Tech lands ex-Stanford standout OLB David Bailey". ESPN. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  8. ^ "Sacks Year-by-Year Leaders and Records". College Football Reference. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  9. ^ "David Bailey Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  10. ^ "David Bailey College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  11. ^ Lange, Randy. "Jets Select Texas Tech Edge David Bailey with 2nd Overall Pick in 2026 NFL Draft". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved April 24, 2026.