INDIANAPOLIS – For most people, uprooting their lives and relocating from Palo Alto, California, to Lubbock, Texas, would rate fairly high on the culture shock meter. For David Bailey, whose unusual migration may soon be transcontinental and could next take him to the Big Apple, it’s all just part of the process.
And while Bailey, an All-American pass rusher for Texas Tech in 2025, wasn’t exactly trading in a career in Silicon Valley to become an agri farmer, he did gain valuable life lessons. (For the record, he also earned a diploma, graduating from Stanford after three years, before joining the Red Raiders.)
“I just learned about like adjusting to a new environment,” Bailey said at this week’s NFL scouting combine, “just how to navigate that experience. I think that’ll take me to the next (place).”
And his next team could very well be the New York Jets, who hold the second overall pick of the 2026 draft, given Bailey might be the best player available this year not named Fernando Mendoza.
“I think he’s the most polished of the pass rushers,” NFL Network lead draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said of Bailey. “He’s got elite, elite juice off the edge. He’s got a long track record of being able to do it. I feel like he’s safe but yet offers upside.”
