David Bailey is expected to be one of the top overall picks in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. He is among the best edge prospects this year, but PFSN’s Drew Collings has some major concerns about his outlook. He explained that in detail during a recent episode of PFSN’s “Football Debate Club.”
PFSN’s Drew Collings Raises Red Flags About 2026 NFL Draft Prospect David Bailey
Bailey is ranked towards the top of just about every draft board out there, and safe to say that most mock drafts have him being selected among the top ten overall picks. His massive 14.5-sack output in his final college football season with the Texas Tech Red Raiders is one of the main reasons.
Despite his obvious skills getting after opposing quarterbacks, Collings has some concerns about the rest of his game. He explained why he’s not quite as high on the edge defender as the consensus rankings suggest.
“I love the pass rushing upside, it’s superb,” said Collings. “But as a run defender, I have major questions. I don’t think his strength at the point of attack is great. I think he can be eliminated from plays, especially if it’s a double team, and he doesn’t set the edge well on certain instances. In addition, he has some off-the-field issues that I’m concerned about, and I think they stem from anger issues.”
Bailey currently ranks third among edge players and ninth overall on the PFSN Consensus Big Board for the 2026 NFL Draft class. He trails just Arvell Reese and Rueben Bain Jr. in his position.
However, he outperformed both of them in PFSN’s Impact Rankings for last season. His 92.9 grade was the best of all edge defenders last year, and it also ranked 20th overall among all players in every position.
What gives Bailey his elite upside is his pass-rushing numbers, and this was acknowledged by Collings, who called it a “superb” ability. Where the analyst has concerns about his outlook is as a run defender. He pointed out several issues with this area of his game, including being overpowered and failing to set a proper edge.
Collings also mentioned potential anger issues and gave examples of his alarming outbursts, including a physical altercation with a photographer and a game ejection for stomping on an opposing player.
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This could theoretically create problems for him in the NFL, but if he can keep this in check and also improve his run support, he could be one of the best prospects in this year’s class.
