The New York Jets took David Bailey with the second pick.
The New York Jets canceled a pre-draft visit with David Bailey, so the Texas Tech star thought he wouldn't go to the team at No. 2.
However, the Jets wound up taking Bailey.
“Initially, I probably thought they’re not going to pick me,” Bailey said. “But I was thinking back to the interactions prior to the meeting getting canceled and I was thinking back to the interaction I had with them at the Combine and at the steakhouse and the FaceTimes with Mougey. I had a good relationship with them. I felt good talking to them. I feel like they had a good attitude towards me and vice versa.”
Bailey had 19.5 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks for Texas Tech in 2025. He projects to be a stud for the Jets for years to come.
"It's surreal to me, man,. It's a great experience. It's an awesome opportunity," Bailey said. "I'm grateful to all the fans who came out here tonight. I just want to be a sponge, soak up everything and make me the best player I can be to help this organization. I think they want to go in the right direction, and I'm just ready to work."
Bailey wowed at the combine, turning his 40-yard dash in 4.50 seconds, second-fastest among DEs and edge rushers behind only Arvil Reese's 4.46.
Bailey is the sixth player taken by the Jets out of Texas Tech in the common-draft era.
Bailey was pumped to tell Jets reporters what a sack does for him.
"Oh, man, I'm so glad you asked me about that feeling," Bailey said. "That feeling, it's like no other.. ... I have a lot of motivations for why I play the game and that's one of them, that feeling when you get a sack and the crowd is, you know, on your side, especially during a home game. But regardless home or away, it's one of the best feelings."
The Jets went 3-14 last season in Year 1 of the Aaron Glenn era. They became the first team in NFL history to not record a defensive interception and lose five straight games by 23 or more points within a single season.
Glenn is going to call defensive plays next season. Does that mean the Jets will be better on defense? Only time will tell.
