David Bailey became the highest-drafted player in New York Jets franchise history in April.
With great power comes great responsibility. The Jets’ expectations for Bailey are understandably high heading into 2026.
An anonymous veteran NFL scout shared a scary prediction with Insider Matt Lombardo of “Between The Hashmarks.”
“He’s explosive,” a veteran NFL Scout tells Between The Hashmarks, on the condition of anonymity to speak freely. “You can’t teach that. Around October, he’s the type of player who’s going to hit his stride and be a real problem for teams.”
Bailey Holds the Keys to the Jets Season
The Jets sure hope so! Bailey is an instant impact type of player. He led college football in sacks last year with 14.5. The Jets struggled rushing the passer, finishing with only 26 sacks as a team, which was 31st in the league.
Bailey’s potential dominance can have a ripple effect on the rest of the defense. If he eats, offenses will have to adjust, which should open up other opportunities for other defenders.
Lombardo predicted that Bailey would walk away with Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2026.
“Defensively, David Bailey already looks like the cornerstone of a revamped Jets defense. Bailey’s rapid first step and elite bend were on display all summer in Florham Park and in the preseason, where he posted his first sack, perhaps as a harbinger of plenty more to come after being chosen No. 2 overall by the Jets in this spring’s NFL Draft,” Lombardo wrote for “Between The Hashmarks.”
“At 6-foot-3 and 251 pounds, Bailey looks like a difference maker and plays like he’s a heat-seeking missile constantly aimed at obliterating quarterbacks. He’s the kind of attitude adjustment that the Jets desperately needed, and he just might be the player who triggers a defensive renaissance capable of saving head coach Aaron Glenn’s job,” Lombardo added.
More Folks Are Jumping on the Bandwagon
Lombardo isn’t the only one who thinks Bailey will be adding some hardware this season.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic revealed his bold prediction ahead of the season: Bailey will win DROY.
“Bailey was dominant at times this summer for the Jets, most impressively in joint practices against a solid Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line. The Jets drafted him in large part because of his ready-made ability as a pass rusher and he’s going to get every opportunity to feast on opposing offensive lines with Aaron Glenn calling plays — and often sending in blitzes around him. The question will be how Bailey handles himself once offensive coordinators start scheming up ways to stop him, but with a solid defensive line around him — including some space eaters on the interior — it would not surprise me at all if he ended the season with double-digit sacks,” Rosenblatt wrote.
A Jets defender has registered a double-digit sack season 18 times in franchise history. The only rookie to ever accomplish that feat is Hugh Douglas in 1995 (10). If Rosenblatt was right, Bailey would at least tie that record, if not break it entirely.
NFL Scout Delivers Scary David Bailey Warning Before Jets Season