Given David Bailey’s performance while playing for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, it’s no wonder that the Texas Tech football team’s head coach believes the skilled pass rusher belongs among the top players picked in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.
And, of course, Joey McGuire was quite outspoken about where Bailey should be selected. During a press conference following one of Texas Tech’s spring practices, McGuire took to the stage and aggressively campaigned for Bailey.
“I’ve seen all the individuals that, you know, might go number two above him,” McGuire said. “And they’re,” according to the text. “Production is nowhere close to David Bailey’s. “
To be fair, Bailey’s production this season was otherworldly. After transferring from Stanford to Texas Tech and completing his collegiate career in Lubbock, Bailey amassed 52 total tackles, 19. 5 tackles for loss, and 14. 5 sacks.
Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire has no qualms about expressing his opinions on how NFL general managers should evaluate David Bailey.
However, McGuire was not merely settling this on output from Bailey’s undergraduate career. There are many elements that go into selecting players in the NFL Draft.
“It’s difficult to suggest they have more potential than David Bailey,” McGuire said.
And I believe it’s a reasonable statement. The Red Raiders had a lot of success this season because Bailey consistently excelled on the field, yet it seemed like he still had opportunity to grow, improve, and then build on that success.
“You know, this is the first year that he really played at defensive end and didn’t drop into coverage and anything like that,” McGuire remarked.
That is insane. He was a defensive juggernaut for the Red Raiders in his first year as a defensive end.
