Will McDonald Says Jets Rookie David Bailey Will Be ‘One of the Best’ Defensive Linemen He Knows

Will McDonald has seen plenty of pass rushers up close. He’s one himself, with 21.5 career sacks in three seasons for the New York Jets. So when he says the guy lining up next to him is going to be special, it carries some weight.

McDonald is talking about David Bailey, the Jets’ No. 2 overall pick out of Texas Tech, and the early returns from training camp have McDonald convinced.

“It’s pretty cool, he’s going to probably be one of the best defensive linemen that I know,” McDonald said. “He’s still learning, and I learn things off of him, but he is also improving.”

Will McDonald on David Bailey —

"He's going to be one of the best defensive linemen I know"

Will McDonald on David Bailey pic.twitter.com/rMsOSkSKW6

— SNY Jets (@snyjets) August 6, 2026

McDonald knows what a fast NFL start looks like. He was a first-round pick himself in 2023, taken 15th overall out of Iowa State, and he’s built a reputation as one of the more disruptive edges on a defense that’s needed the help. Bailey now joins him as part of a retooled pass-rush group that also includes free-agent addition Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare, after New York traded away former first-rounder Jermaine Johnson II this offseason.

Why the Jets Bet Big on Bailey

The investment tells the story. New York finished 2025 second-to-last in the NFL with just 26 sacks, a number that left opposing quarterbacks comfortable in the pocket far too often. Bailey was Texas Tech’s answer to exactly that problem last season — 14.5 sacks, tied for the FBS lead, to go with 19.5 tackles for loss. He transferred in from Stanford, where he’d totaled 14.5 sacks over three seasons combined, and turned into a first-team All-American and Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year in a single year at Tech.

Jets general manager Darren Mougey later admitted the call between Bailey and Ohio State’s Arvell Reese at No. 2 came down to the wire, not settling internally until “within the last few days” before the draft. New York ultimately took the edge rusher over the off-ball linebacker, betting that Bailey’s pure pass-rush skill set fit the scheme better.

What Camp Has Shown So Far

The pads haven’t fully come on yet for New York, but Bailey has already flashed the get-off that made him the highest-drafted defensive player in franchise history. In one camp session this month, he bull-rushed right tackle Armand Membou and blew past running back Breece Hall to reach quarterback Geno Smith for a credited “sack” — no contact allowed in camp reps, but a clean rep nonetheless.

Not every rep has been smooth. Notes from Thursday’s practice show Bailey occasionally getting steered wide on run plays, an area evaluators flagged as a work in progress coming out of college. It’s the kind of detail that separates real camp reporting from hype — Bailey’s pass-rush juice is obvious, but discipline against the run is still developing, exactly as McDonald suggested when he said his rookie teammate is “still learning.”

Defensive tackle Harrison Phillips has noticed the same burst McDonald is talking about. “I see him in the backfield all the time,” Phillips said. “I mean, oh my gosh.” Defensive lineman Kingsley Enagbare put it more bluntly: “Oh, he’s gonna be phenomenal.”

None of it will mean much until the regular season, and Bailey knows it. He’s shrugged off the hype so far, saying the jump to the NFL hasn’t overwhelmed him the way people might expect. “I feel I kind of started my journey as a pro a little bit early,” Bailey said, “in terms of the way I approached the game, the way I was taking care of my body, the way I was approaching the playbook, and learning football.”

That’s the calm version. McDonald’s version is louder — and if his rookie teammate keeps stacking reps like the ones from this week, it won’t be hard to see why.