The team at PFF released their post-combine mock draft, and with the 11th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, they have Miami selecting one of the elite pass rushers in this draft.
Round 1, Pick #11: David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech
“New Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley emphasized wanting to get better in the trenches, an important goal after the team traded Jaelen Phillips at the trade deadline and released Bradley Chubb. They have Chop Robinson, but still need more pass-rush potential. Bailey’s 4.50-second 40-yard dash at 251 pounds is enough to make him one of the more coveted pass rushers — and he could go even higher than this.
He finished 2025 as the highest-graded edge defender in college football (93.3) and with the top pass-rush win rate (38.6%) in the Power Four.”
Overview
Bailey is extremely hard for linemen to stay in front of. 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. He can be stalled when a blocker latches his hands in deep, but Bailey’s elusiveness and suddenness make clean clamps a relative rarity. He’s instinctive with natural mid-rush counters, but he must continue developing hand usage and crafting rush plans for when protection shifts his way. Teams can run at Bailey due to his lack of anchor and take-on presence, but his work-around quickness will also lead to tackles for loss. His draft grade is slightly tempered by a lack of desired size/length, but the explosiveness and athletic talent is truly elite. His sack production should carry over to the NFL as an odd-front rush linebacker with Pro Bowl upside.
Strengths
- Possesses rare short-area twitch and reactive agility.
- Makes a lot of plays behind the line of scrimmage.
- Explosive take-off leaves tackle little margin for error out of his stance.
- Widens rush track on second step to create space at the corner.
- Builds speed and momentum as the rush ripens.
- Has the lean, bend and cornering to shrink-wrap the pocket.
- Natural rush instincts with quick reaction to blocker’s pass sets.
- Stacks an outside counter on top of his speed-to-power charge.
- Fights through redirect blocks to stay connected to his track.
- Able to flip hips and shoulders to play quickly around run blocks.
- Runs well and squeezes pursuit angles wide.
Weaknesses
- Finesse approach against the run due to lack of size/power.
- Can be caved in or torqued out by kick-outs.
- Missing escape strength once he’s stuck on contact.
- Average recognition of screens and misdirection.
- Hand accuracy on swipes and chops is inconsistent.
- Will need to develop inside counters to exploit oversets.
Draft Profile: Bio
David Bailey grew up in Orange, California before becoming a household name at Mater Dei High School, arguably the premier football factory on the West Coast. As a senior, Bailey terrorized opposing offenses with 20.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks while leading the Monarchs to a perfect 12-0 record and the California Open Division State Championship. His dominance earned him CalHiSports Defensive Player of the Year, Orange County Defensive Player of the Year, Trinity League Defensive Player of the Year, and a spot in the prestigious All-American Bowl. The recruiting services took notice: 247Sports ranked him the 33rd overall prospect nationally and the No. 3 edge rusher in the country, while he landed as a consensus four-star and the first player left off 247’s five-star list with a 0.97 grade. His older brother DJ had played defensive end at Harvard, but David chose Stanford over Alabama and Penn State.
Bailey wasted no time making an impact in Palo Alto. He started nine games as a true freshman in 2022, racking up 46 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss while earning True Freshman All-American honors from 247Sports and the Stanford Outstanding Freshman award. His sophomore campaign brought team-leading numbers in both tackles for loss (6.0) and sacks (5.0), including a three-sack outburst against Hawaii. The junior season cemented his status as one of college football’s elite pass rushers: seven sacks, 31 tackles, and five forced fumbles that ranked fourth nationally, along with a 93.2 pass-rush grade from Pro Football Focus that topped every player in the country. He also completed his bachelor’s degree in Science, Technology and Science in under four years while making the ACC Academic Team. Career totals at Stanford across 33 games: 111 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, and seven forced fumbles.
When Troy Taylor was fired and the coaching staff turned over, Bailey entered the transfer portal as the crown jewel available and landed at Texas Tech with one of the richest NIL deals in college football history. The investment paid immediate dividends. Bailey dominated the Big 12, finishing with 13.5 sacks (second nationally, first among power four schools), 17.5 tackles for loss (tied for third nationally), and 52 total tackles while helping propel the Red Raiders into the College Football Playoff. He recorded a sack in 10 of 13 games, including a season-high three against Kansas that earned him four weekly awards. His collection of honors reads like a greatest hits album: consensus All-American, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year, Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year, Lombardi Award Finalist, Bednarik Award Semifinalist, and invitee to the Senior Bowl. Bruce Feldman placed him on the College Football Freaks List after Bailey posted a 405-pound bench press, 550-pound squat, and hit 22.16 mph on GPS tracking.
Draft Profile: Bio
David Bailey grew up in Orange, California before becoming a household name at Mater Dei High School, arguably the premier football factory on the West Coast. As a senior, Bailey terrorized opposing offenses with 20.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks while leading the Monarchs to a perfect 12-0 record and the California Open Division State Championship. His dominance earned him CalHiSports Defensive Player of the Year, Orange County Defensive Player of the Year, Trinity League Defensive Player of the Year, and a spot in the prestigious All-American Bowl. The recruiting services took notice: 247Sports ranked him the 33rd overall prospect nationally and the No. 3 edge rusher in the country, while he landed as a consensus four-star and the first player left off 247’s five-star list with a 0.97 grade. His older brother DJ had played defensive end at Harvard, but David chose Stanford over Alabama and Penn State.
Bailey wasted no time making an impact in Palo Alto. He started nine games as a true freshman in 2022, racking up 46 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss while earning True Freshman All-American honors from 247Sports and the Stanford Outstanding Freshman award. His sophomore campaign brought team-leading numbers in both tackles for loss (6.0) and sacks (5.0), including a three-sack outburst against Hawaii. The junior season cemented his status as one of college football’s elite pass rushers: seven sacks, 31 tackles, and five forced fumbles that ranked fourth nationally, along with a 93.2 pass-rush grade from Pro Football Focus that topped every player in the country. He also completed his bachelor’s degree in Science, Technology and Science in under four years while making the ACC Academic Team. Career totals at Stanford across 33 games: 111 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, and seven forced fumbles.
When Troy Taylor was fired and the coaching staff turned over, Bailey entered the transfer portal as the crown jewel available and landed at Texas Tech with one of the richest NIL deals in college football history. The investment paid immediate dividends. Bailey dominated the Big 12, finishing with 13.5 sacks (second nationally, first among power four schools), 17.5 tackles for loss (tied for third nationally), and 52 total tackles while helping propel the Red Raiders into the College Football Playoff. He recorded a sack in 10 of 13 games, including a season-high three against Kansas that earned him four weekly awards. His collection of honors reads like a greatest hits album: consensus All-American, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year, Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year, Lombardi Award Finalist, Bednarik Award Semifinalist, and invitee to the Senior Bowl. Bruce Feldman placed him on the College Football Freaks List after Bailey posted a 405-pound bench press, 550-pound squat, and hit 22.16 mph on GPS tracking.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Frame appears maxed out around 250 pounds with Stanford listing him at 238 just a year ago, raising concerns about whether he can add functional mass to handle NFL power schemes.
- Gets displaced at the point of attack when blockers arrive square with bad intentions, struggling to hold his ground and maintain gap integrity against quality run blocking.
- Anchor strength remains a legitimate concern as he lacks the base to consistently convert speed-to-power when tackles get hands inside his frame at the NFL level.
- Zone-read concepts catch him in no-man’s land with indecisive reads, creating exploitable windows for both quarterbacks keeping and backs hitting the designed lane.
- Over-aggressive pursuit leads to vacated gaps and missed assignments when discipline breaks down, leaving cutback lanes that experienced NFL runners will feast on.
Scouting Report: Summary
Bailey’s first step is among the best in this class, and once he clears the corner, quarterbacks are in serious trouble. The 13.5 sacks and 23.4% pressure rate he posted against Big 12 competition tell you everything about his ability to finish: this isn’t a guy who generates heat without results. His counter game still needs polish, particularly with hand timing and inside moves to punish oversets, but the foundation of athleticism and instincts gives you something real to build on. NFL pass-rush coaches will drool over the raw tools.
Here’s the deal: Bailey isn’t walking into a building and playing every down from Week One. The run defense tape shows a player who gets moved off spots, loses leverage battles, and takes himself out of plays chasing rather than fitting. That’s workable in sub-packages where you’re asking him to pin his ears back and hunt, but defensive coordinators will need to protect him on early downs until he adds functional strength and learns to play with better pad level. The coverage skills open doors for creative deployment where he’s not anchoring against lead blocks but creating chaos rushing the passer or dropping into zones.
Teams running odd fronts will see an outside linebacker who can wreck game plans on third down while developing into more. Even-front defenses can deploy him as a situational rusher who rotates in obvious passing situations and contributes as a designated pass-rush weapon. The athletic testing, production against quality competition, and finishing ability all point to a player who can become a consistent double-digit sack producer at the next level once the supporting elements catch up to the pass-rush talent. He profiles best in an organization willing to let him develop without asking him to carry early-down responsibilities before he’s ready.
