This disruptive Texas Tech edge rusher unleashes havoc, igniting hope for a struggling Dallas Cowboys defense hungry for game-changing playmakers.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders were the scourge of the Big 12 in 2025. Leaving a path of broken and defeated adversaries in their wake as they ascended the mountaintop of conference championship football.
This team’s strength was their defense, led by edge rusher David Bailey. He was an incendiary device of gridiron violence for Texas Tech. In 2025, Bailey recorded 52 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, pressured the quarterback 13 times, and forced three fumbles.
Against Oregon in the College Football Playoff, Bailey was the lone bright spot for the Red Raiders, posting nine tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and he broke up two passes in a 23-0 defeat by the Ducks.
Bailey thrives on anarchy and disruption as it relates to mucking up the offensive game plans of the opponents.
Over a three-game stretch, he camped out in the backfields of Houston, Kansas and Arizona State and recorded nine tackles for loss. Against Oregon State, he pressured the quarterback four times.
In his collegiate career, Bailey racked up 163 tackles, 41.5 tackles for loss, 29 sacks, 26 QB pressures and forced 10 fumbles. He now moves on to the next stop of his football journey, the NFL.
According to one ESPN mock draft, Bailey is projected as a top ten pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, going No. 7 to the Commanders. One team is in desperate need of help on the defensive side of the ball, the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas suffered mightily on defense this past season and was among the worst in the league in points allowed and yards allowed.
With two first-round picks, the Cowboys are in prime position to address those defensive needs. They have the luxury of trading up, if they choose to do so, to get a talented defender like Bailey.
The Cowboys are on the clock, and their draft board should be loaded with defender’s names that scouts say are the real deal and can help the team. One of those names should be David Bailey.