Texas Tech’s record-setting NFL draft class is already flashing, with David Bailey, Reggie Virgil and Skyler Gill-Howard leading the preseason surge.
Texas Tech football sent a record nine players into the 2026 NFL Draft, and several former Red Raiders are already making sure that historic class doesn’t get forgotten.
The biggest name is David Bailey, the No. 2 overall pick by the New York Jets.
Bailey arrived in the NFL after leading the FBS with 14.5 sacks in 2025, and he’s already shown why New York invested so heavily in him. His first preseason sack came against Pittsburgh, and his burst off the edge has translated quickly against NFL tackles.
Texas Tech had 24 former players on NFL rosters across 17 teams entering the preseason, but Bailey is clearly the headliner.
The surprise story may be Reggie Virgil.
Arizona selected Virgil in the fifth round, and he immediately made an impression in the Hall of Fame Game with five catches for 66 yards on six targets.
That kind of production matters for a receiver fighting through the middle of an NFL depth chart, and Virgil has given the Cardinals a reason to keep watching.
Then there’s Skyler Gill-Howard, a sixth-round pick by Detroit.
He wasn’t drafted with the same hype as Bailey or second-rounders Jacob Rodriguez and Lee Hunter, but Gill-Howard’s high-motor style has translated well.
NFL evaluators viewed him as an undersized but disruptive interior defender, and that profile has fit what he’s shown in preseason action.
Behren Morton has faced a different challenge. New England took the former Texas Tech quarterback in the seventh round, meaning every preseason snap has doubled as an audition.
Morton hasn’t been perfect, but he’s shown enough arm talent and poise to keep himself in the developmental quarterback conversation.
Miami also invested heavily in Lubbock talent, using a second-round pick on Jacob Rodriguez and a third-rounder on Caleb Douglas.
Carolina grabbed Hunter at No. 49 overall, while San Francisco took Romello Height in the third round. Philadelphia added safety Cole Wisniewski in the seventh.
That’s the bigger takeaway.
This isn’t just Patrick Mahomes carrying the Texas Tech flag anymore. The Red Raiders are sending legitimate depth into the league at multiple positions.
Now comes the hard part: roster cutdowns.
For Bailey, the question is how quickly he becomes an impact starter. For Virgil, Gill-Howard, Morton and the rest, it’s about turning preseason flashes into permanent NFL jobs.
So far, Texas Tech’s historic draft class looks like it belongs.
