Wesley Bailey (American football)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wesley Bailey (born April 26, 2001) is a Canadian professional football linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Louisville Cardinals.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| No. 47 – Los Angeles Rams | |
|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker |
| Roster status | Active |
| Personal information | |
| Born | April 26, 2001 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 265 lb (120 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Clearwater Academy International (Clearwater, Florida) |
| College | Rutgers (2020–2024) Louisville (2025) |
| NFL draft | 2026: undrafted |
| CFL draft | 2026: 2nd round, 19th overall pick |
| Career history | |
| |
Early life
Bailey was born on April 26, 2001, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, growing up in the Ottawa community of Orleans.[1][2] His mother was an immigrant from Jamaica and he has three sisters.[3] His mother was killed while visiting Jamaica when Bailey was age five, and he afterwards was raised along with his twin sister by his uncle, before later moving in with a different uncle.[3] He grew up playing football and began playing as a defensive end in 2019.[3] He soon after decided to attend Clearwater Academy International in Florida.[3] During the 2019 season there, Bailey posted 62 tackles and seven sacks.[4] A three-star recruit, he initially committed to play college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers before flipping to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.[4][5]
College career
Bailey saw no playing time as a true freshman at Rutgers in 2020, then appeared in seven games while recording six tackles and a sack in 2021.[4] In 2022, he started all 12 games at defensive end and led the team with 3.5 sacks while also recording 30 tackles.[4] The following year, Bailey recorded 27 tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss (TFLs) and four sacks.[5] Due to injuries, he only made four appearances during the 2024 season and took a redshirt.[6] Bailey then transferred to the Louisville Cardinals for his final season of college football in 2025, totaling 39 tackles, seven TFLs and six sacks while starting 12 games.[7][8] At Louisville, he played alongside his childhood friend Rene Konga.[3] In his collegiate career, Bailey recorded 110 tackles, 22 TFLs and 15.5 sacks.[9]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4+3⁄4 in (1.95 m) | 260 lb (118 kg) | 34+1⁄4 in (0.87 m) | 9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 6 ft 9+3⁄4 in (2.08 m) | 4.69 s | 1.53 s | 2.68 s | 4.50 s | 7.00 s | 35.0 in (0.89 m) | 10 ft 1 in (3.07 m) | 27 reps |
| All values from Pro Day[10][11] | ||||||||||||
After going unselected in the 2026 NFL draft, Bailey signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent.[8] He was also selected by the Edmonton Elks in the second round (19th overall) of the 2026 CFL draft.[9]