Rushing the passer is David Bailey's strength, but questions linger about his ability to stop the run. Can the New York Jets defense afford this gamble?
With it being a foregone conclusion that the Las Vegas Raiders would take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick, the biggest question before the draft was if the New York Jets would take Ohio State edge Arvell Reese or Texas Tech defensive end David Bailey.
Reese projects to have tremendous upside as an edge, though his numbers weren't as productive with Ohio State as what Bailey put up in his final year at Texas Tech.
Bailey, a transfer from Stanford, led the FBS with 14.5 sacks on the Red Raiders defense.
The Jets chose Bailey.
There's an argument to be made that Bailey fits better in the defensive scheme of the Jets than Reese.
Bailey should add tremendous help rushing the passer, but Rich Cimini of ESPN noted that there is a fear that the defensive end could be a liability as a run defender.
"Did they blow it by passing on Arvell Reese?" Cimini wrote. "Most talent evaluators believe Reese has a higher ceiling than Bailey. Another question will be about Bailey's liability against the run. By his own admission, this is an area in which he needs to improve.
"He had only eight run stops (tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage) in 14 games. The Jets will leave themselves vulnerable against the run if they roll with Bailey (251 pounds) and Will McDonald IV (245) as their two edge defenders."
Bailey is aware that his run defense is an issue of concern this offseason. He believes that he can develop into a better run defender with the Jets.
“I can always improve,” Bailey said, via Jets X Factor. “I do feel I can play the run at a high level. There are clips where you can certainly question it, but then there are clips that show on tape that say ‘Yeah, you can play the run...'
“I feel confident they’ll put me in the best position to succeed. Whether that means staying on the edge, dropping back, or whatever. I have confidence in my ability.”
There is no perfect draft prospect, and Bailey will have plenty of things to work on during OTAs and training camp.
With that being said, the upside for Bailey is palpable.
Even if the Jets had taken Reese, they'd be hoping that he'd develop into a better player in the league than he was at Ohio State because Bailey was the better player in 2025.
