David Bailey (American football)
American football player (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
Orange, California, U.S.
| No. 31 – New York Jets | |
|---|---|
| Position | Edge rusher |
| Roster status | Active |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 28, 2003 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 |
|
| NFL draft | 2026: 1st round, 2nd overall pick |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
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
Stanford
Bailey entered his true freshman year at Stanford in 2022 as a starter.[4] He played in 11 games with nine starts and had 46 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He was named to 247Sports' true freshman All-American team.[5] He returned to Stanford as a starter his sophomore year in 2023.[6][7] In the season opener against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, Bailey recorded six tackles, four tackles for loss, and three sacks to help lead Stanford to a 37-24 win.[8] He played in 10 games and finished with 34 tackles and five sacks.[9] In his junior year, he played in all 12 games and finished with 31 tackles and seven sacks.[10]
Texas Tech
On April 4, 2025, Bailey announced that he would transfer to Texas Tech.[11] 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.[12] His 2025 season put him second in Texas Tech history for sacks in a season finishing half a sack behind Brandon Sharpe.[13] He was named a unanimous All-American along with teammate Jacob Rodriguez.[14] He was also named as the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year and Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year.[15]
Professional career
| 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[16][17] | ||||||||||||
Bailey was selected by the New York Jets in the first round, second overall, of the 2026 NFL draft.[18] On May 8, 2026, Bailey signed a four-year contract with the Jets worth $54.6 million, which featured a $36.8 million signing bonus.[19]