The suspense ended early for David Bailey and Jets Nation, when the elite edge from Texas Tech was selected No. 2 overall in Pittsburgh on Thursday night on the first night of the 2026 NFL Draft.
"I saw it [phone] light up, I was like 'there's just no way,' " said Bailey, who chalked up elite production at a critical position. "So I picked it up and it was like, man, just joy. It's pure joy."
For the past few weeks a debate raged among the media, fans and probably among the Jets' draft braintrust at 1 Jets Drive. But ultimately, the organization led by GM Darren Mougey, went with a mature edge rusher who notched 14.5 sacks last season for the Red Raiders and is seen as a plug-and-play quarterback hunter.
"I saw all the mock drafts ... I mean you never really know how reliable those are," Bailey said, referring to the mocks and stories that framed the choice between him and Ohio State edge Arvell Reese. "But no, I had a great, great interaction with them at the combine [in February]. Obviously they canceled my 30 visit, but other than that, man, I had great face times. Mooji [Mougey] and everybody."
Under the Jets' defensive scheme, with HC Aaron Glenn calling the plays in the coming season, the unit will bounce between a 3-4 and 4-3. With Bailey at one edge and Will McDonald IV at the other, Glenn expects to pressure opposing quarterbacks in a bid to create more opportunities for turnovers.
"Both of those guys, because we're talking about those two guys [Bailey and Reese] are really good players," Glenn said after the conclusions of the first round. "Listen, Arvell is going to have a really good career in this league. But when you just continue to evaluate those guys, we just felt like Bailey is better. He's a 6-4, 255 pound man with 34-inch arms that has ton of production in college."
Bailey (6-4, 251) will be a key addition among a defensive group that includes Joseph Ossai, Kingsley Enagbare, and David Onyemata. Over his collegiate career, first at Stanford and last season at Texas Tech, Bailey had 29 total sacks over four college seasons. His first three seasons came at Stanford, where he played 32 games as a part-time starter but a full-time QB harasser, racking up 14.5 sacks.
One apparent advantage is the perception that Bailey, 23, is ready for the NFL, if not vice versa.
"I'm going to be completely honest with you, obviously, there's no way to tell," he said. "I haven't played against anyone in the NFL. You know, those are grown men, seasoned men that have been playing the game for a long time. But, you know, I'm confident in my ability. I think my main thing is just staying focused, maintaining that same hard work that I put into my collegiate career, and just taking that next step up."
Last season Bailey duplicated his output over three seasons in Stanford when he amassed 14.5 sacks, tying for the FBS lead, and 19.5 TFL, second-most in the FBS. He was named a first-team All-American and the Big 12 DL of the Year.
Last week, the narrative appeared to flip from Bailey to Reese after the Jets canceled his 30 visit to the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. In the end, perhaps it was a signal to the player that the Jets had seen and heard enough.
"I didn't know if it was like an unusual thing to do, but I was still, still confident in the interactions that I had with them at the combine, and I felt good with them," Bailey said. "And then also, we had dinner back in Texas, in Lubbock after my pro day. So I still felt good with the prior conversations, and I know they for whatever reason, they had their reasons and doing this."
Going No. 2 overall in the draft has done little to temper Bailey's confidence and his ability on the football field.
"I'm explosive," he said. "My first thing that jumps out on tape is my pass-rushing ability. I mean, I'm explosive, elite first step. But then also, I'm a versatile football player, too. I played in different schemes throughout my collegiate career. I played off-ball linebacker, I played in the box, played for tech. So no, I've got a couple different positions that I played. I've got the ability to adapt to schemes."
