Leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft, April 23-25 in Pittsburgh, NewYorkJets.com will examine some of this year's "Perfect Fits" for the Green & White, according to draft analysts on "Now Boarding."
ESPN's Matt Miller's choice: Texas Tech EDGE David Bailey
The Player
David Bailey was a one-year starter for the Red Raiders after three seasons at Stanford (2022-24) and helped Tech reach its first Big 12 Championship and an appearance in the College Football Playoff. Bailey (6-4, 251) led the FBS in the 2025 season with 14.5 sacks and a 21.3 % pressure rate. The unanimous All-American finished No. 2 with 19.5 tackles for loss and 81 pressures.
"I think getting that speed off the edge is so important," Miller said. "Having just watched [Patriots left tackle] Will Campbell go through the postseason knowing that's the player you're going to have to go through at left tackle for the next 10 years to get to Drake Maye, I think you want someone who can bring that speed, dip the shoulder and really stress an offensive tackle. Bailey does that exceptionally well."
Bailey is Miller's No. 6 overall prospect in this year's class, which sits between where NFL Network Daniel Jeremiah (No. 4) and The Athletic's Dane Brugler (No. 7) have Bailey rated.
"[The process] is going to be fun as we try to tiebreak the edge rusher position," Miller said. "But the more I talk to people around the league and dive into the individual traits of some of these guys, David Bailey continues to push up the board for me."
The Background
Bailey was raised in Orange County, CA with three siblings and two immigrant parents. His father, Anthony, is from Jamaica and his mother, Monica, is from Ghana. Bailey, whose older brother, DJ, played defensive end at Harvard, went to football powerhouse Mater Dei High School that has produced NFL talent like Heisman Trophy winners QB Matt Leinart (USC) and QB Bryce Young (Alabama), and current Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Bailey was the 2021 Orange County Defensive Player of the Year with 15.5 sacks, 20.5 tackles for loss and 3 forced fumbles as Mater Dei went 12-0 and took home a state championship.
The four-star recruit received multiple offers and chose Stanford, where he graduated with a degree in science, technology and society in under four years, over USC. He enrolled in graduate school at Texas Tech when he transferred.
The Fit
The Jets added a pair of edge rushers in free agency in Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare to a room headlined by Will McDonald IV, who enters his fourth NFL season. McDonald is the most productive pass rusher of the group with 18.5 sacks over his last two seasons.
While it is unclear how head coach Aaron Glenn will deploy his defensive linemen after taking over playcalling, teams can never have enough pass rushers and Bailey would provide an elite talent off the edge at a premium position.
