The Kansas City Chiefs are committed to improving their pass rush, and David Bailey is an intriguing possibility.
The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to improve their pass rush, and we’re starting to get a better idea of how the Chiefs intend to get there. Kansas City used one of its pre-draft visits last week to get to know Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey, whose draft stock has been rising steadily in the last couple of months.
There are good reasons for this, according to a write-up by Nikhil Mehta of ProFootballRumors.com. Bailey, who’s 22, was originally projected to be a late first rounder during the CFB season, but now he could go in the top ten, according to Mehta. He started his career with Stanford, then transferred to Texas Tech, where he led FBS with 14.5 sacks and posted a Big-12 best of 19.5 tackles for loss.
Bailey also turned in an excellent performance at the combine, hence his status as a draft riser. His 40-yard dash time of 4.5 seconds trailed only that of Arvell Reese, who’s expected to be a top five pick, and his 10' 9” broad jump ranked third.
The Texas Tech product already did a visit with the Arizona Cardinals in March, and last week he visited both the Chiefs and the New York Jets.
The Chiefs are looking for a bookend pass rusher to go with defensive end George Karlaftis and tackle Chris Jones. Bailey is considered a speed rusher, and the Chiefs didn’t have anyone with his combination of power and speed who could get home to the quarterback.
Kansas City’s draft position is especially intriguing when it comes to taking a player like Bailey. The Chiefs’ strength is maneuverability, as they have a pair of first-round picks, their own at ninth and the one they got from the Los Angeles Rams in the Trent McDuffie trade, which is the 29th pick.
This gives them choices when it comes to the edge rusher they want. It wouldn’t be surprising to see GM Brent Veach opt to take Bailey with the ninth pick if he falls that far, or the Chiefs could take someone else later in the round. Everything's on the table right now in Kansas City, and we may not know the Chiefs' exact direction until the draft itself unfolds.
Trades are also a possibility given Kansas City’s abundance of draft capital. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will have a strong voice in whatever approach the Chiefs take, but Bailey is definitely a prospect to watch as draft day approaches.