NY Giants 2026 NFL Draft scouting report: David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech

Bailey is one of the most explosive defenders in the nation and it all starts with an elite first step. He does an excellent job of timing and keying the snap, allowing him to be one of the first players moving on either side of the line of scrimmage. He puts immediate pressure on offensive tackles with his first step and follows that up by gaining ground with his second and third steps.

He has enough fluidity to maintain good leverage and does a good job of using his length and speed to get into blockers’ chest plate to win with speed to power, while also having a good toolbox of pass rush moves to win with finesse. Bailey does an excellent job of marrying his hands with his feet, preventing blockers from locking in and slowing his rush while also allowing him to carry speed into the backfield. He has sudden lateral agility, allowing him to make runningback-like jump cuts to surprise with inside or outside moves.

Bailey is a disruptive run defender who can blow up rushing plays in the backfield, either forcing a jump cut or getting the tackle for a loss. He’s also very quick to diagnose the play and recognize when to disengage and pursue the ball.

Weaknesses

Worst traits

• Play strength
• Block shedding

There are few true weaknesses in Bailey’s game, and the real weaknesses are more the realities of how he should be used.

Bailey shouldn’t be considered as an every-down defensive end in a 4-3 defense. He lacks the mass and play strength to directly stack and shed blocks from offensive tackles on a down-to-down basis. Instead, he needs to use his explosiveness, alignment versatility, and technique to penetrate and disrupt behind the line of scrimmage.

Bailey will also fit better in defenses that use more wide alignments for their edge defenders. He lacks elite flexibility and fluidity in his ankles which can limit his ability to bend around the edge. He isn’t really capable of getting extremely low and can lose his footing when he tries to bend a particularly sharp corner

Game Tape

(Bailey is the Texas Tech edge defender wearing number 31.)

Projection

David Bailey projects as a starting edge defender at the NFL level.

He should be an immediate impact player as a rookie thanks to his rare explosiveness and good technique. His size, athleticism, and versatility should allow him to immediately contribute as a rookie, and do so in just about any defense at the NFL level. He’ll fit best in a team that allows him to move around and take advantage of a variety of entry points and disrupt in the backfield.

He isn’t a perfect prospect and there are some limitations, however he should still be a very good player at the NFL level and shouldn’t have to wait long at all to hear his name called on draft night.

Does he fit the Giants? Schematically, yes

Final Word: A Top 10 pick