There was 1 player who stole the show on the 1st day players were on the field at the NFL scouting combine, and that was Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey.
All of the buzz at the combine was around Bailey, a projected 1st round pick, after he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.51 seconds. He also wowed in the broad jump with a leap of 10 feet, 9 inches along with a 35-inch vertical leap.
Bailey’s 40-yard dash time was tops among all interior defensive linemen and edge rushers at the combine. He ran 4.54 seconds on the 2nd attempt.
“I though he kind of stumbled a bit at the start,” NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said. “I think he can run faster.”
“Texas Tech DL David Bailey, a likely Top 5 pick, runs a 4.51 40,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on Thursday.
Bailey, 6-foot-4 and 251 pounds, led the FBS with 14.5 sacks in 2025 on the way to the Red Raiders playing in the College Football Playoff for the 1st time.
“The most dominant edge rusher in the nation wasn’t built by accident… it was constructed with precision!” Linebackers University wrote on its official X account.
David Bailey Draws Comparison to NFL All-Pro
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein compared Bailey to 2-time NFL All-Pro edge rusher Nik Bonitto, who signed a 4-year, $106 million contract extension with the Denver Broncos before the 2025 season.
Bonitto was a 2nd round pick (No. 64 overall) by the Broncos out of Oklahoma in the 2022 NFL draft after he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.54 seconds at the combine.
“Bailey is extremely hard for linemen to stay in front of,” Zierlein wrote. “He moves like a slashing two guard, blending explosiveness and fluidity to slip, bend and flow around blocks from multiple angles. His leverage and lower-body flexion create game-over scenarios once he reaches pocket depth with even a minor lead … His sack production should carry over to the NFL as an odd-front rush linebacker with Pro Bowl upside.”
David Bailey Transferred From Stanford to Big 12
Bailey was a 3-year starter at Stanford from 2022 to 2024, racking up 14.5 sacks, 22.5 TFL and 111 tackles in that stretch. Bailey earned his Bachelor’s degree in science and technology from Stanford in less than 4 years and transferred to Texas Tech as a graduate student.
“David Bailey is an impressive athlete, who has a deep bag of pass-rush moves to be a significant contributor on third downs in the NFL,” Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder wrote on his pre-draft scouting report. “Bailey is a 6’4″, 250-pound edge defender prospect who originally went to Stanford as a 4-star recruit in the 2022 class. He was an immediate starter for the Cardinal, racking up 46 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks as a freshman to be named a true freshman All-American.”
“Fast, bendy, explosive,” NFL draft analyst Brandon Deutsch wrote on his official X account. “Undersized for full-time EDGE, but Day 1 pass-rush juice is undeniable.”
“Even when Texas Tech’s David Bailey isn’t rushing the passer he’s making impact plays,” SBR Review’s Bobby Football wrote on X.
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