While David Bailey only spent one season with the Texas Tech Red Raiders, it sure seems like Lubbock sure made an impression on him. The talented pass rusher who dominated opposing offensive lines and terrorized Big 12 quarterbacks for the Texas Tech football team this past season ended up getting drafted No. 2 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft and his time with Tech helped make that possible.
While at the NFL Draft, Bailey was given the chance to chat about a few different topics. And while he got to discuss what it was like being present at the draft, he also made sure to talk about the Red Raiders during one of the biggest nights of his life.
“I don’t know that either of us ever thought we were ever going to be in this situation, but I mean, obviously we’re taking advantage of it and we’re super blessed to be here,” Bailey said. “It’s been great.”
David Bailey weighs in on the Texas Tech Red Raiders and shares about how it’s ‘great playing in West Texas’
He absolutely should be taking advantage of those opportunities. With all the work that he’s put in to get there, Bailey has a ton to be proud of. He also seems to be grateful to even be in this position, which is a really encouraging thing to see.
“Aside from all the success, more importantly it’s the people that I met at Tech and the relationships that I formed.”
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) April 23, 2026
🗣️ @baileyy_david23
📺: 2026 #NFLDraft – April 23-25 on NFL Network/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/VGJaQ7bAh8
During his interview, Bailey got the chance to chat about things he was grateful for from his time with Texas Tech and the talented pass rusher sure made a list to go through.
“It’s been great,” Bailey explained. “Aside from all the success, more importantly, it’s the people that I met at Tech and the relationships that I formed.”
Putting a heavy emphasis on people and valuing them (and also valuing connections with them) feels like an important thing (and also a good thing). And I’m here for it.
“You know, with McGuire and the staff and then also just the alumni,” Bailey continued. “I saw how much love the alumni had for our football team and just the sports in general over there. So, you know it was great playing in West Texas and I miss it.”
Texas Tech football fans are sure to miss Bailey. During his season with the Red Raiders, Bailey managed to rack up 14.5 sacks, 19.5 tackles for loss, and a total of 52 combined tackles. He recovered a fumble, forced three fumbles, and broke up three passes. And now he’s on to the NFL to play for the New York Jets.
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