The Jets used the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft on former Texas Tech defensive end David Bailey, and they’re not hiding what they expect from him.
They want him to change the pass rush right away.
Bailey comes to New York after piling up 14.5 sacks for the Red Raiders last season, a number that put him among the most disruptive edge players in college football. That production is a big reason the Jets believe he can make an immediate jump to the pro level and even put himself in the Defensive Rookie of the Year conversation.
He’s set to line up opposite Will McDonald IV, and the Jets have built out the rest of the edge group around him as well. New York added Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare in free agency, and general manager Darren Mougey has completely reshaped the defensive end room. The Jets now have four players deep at the position.
The ceiling here is obvious. Bailey has the athletic tools to make a real run at a double-digit sack season as a rookie, and that would be a major accomplishment. Since 2020, only two rookies have reached 10 or more sacks in their first NFL season: James Pearce Jr., who had 10.5 in 2025, and Micah Parsons, who posted 13.0 in 2021.
Even if Bailey doesn’t get all the way there, the baseline is still strong. Anything above seven sacks would count as a solid rookie year for the Jets’ new pass-rush centerpiece.
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