Texas Tech's David Bailey is a No-Brainer Pick for Struggling NFL Team

As all 32 NFL teams prepare for the 2026 NFL draft, the guessing game is hitting a fever pitch. The event, which in its 91st year, is set for April 23 to 25 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Now, the top five prospects are becoming clear, and for Texas Tech standout David Bailey, his rookie deal is also taking shape. More NFL mock drafts are linking Bailey to the Arizona Cardinals, and now, this pick almost looks like a done deal. It’s not as sure a thing as Fernando Mendoza going to the Las Vegas Raiders, of course, but still.

NFL.com’s Chad Reuter gave his 2026 NFL draft predictions on Friday.

“Since this mock is released nearly a full week before the draft begins, it won’t include last-minute information reported about prospects and teams’ potential interest in them,” he explains. “I still predict four first-round trades, however, while also providing a wide-angle view about where teams can find value at positions of need throughout the event.”

Now, while he admits that the Dallas Cowboys have been linked to Bailey, he really thinks the team that the Texas Tech edge-rusher has repeatedly been linked to, the Cardinals, will pick him.

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“I’m staying away from the idea that the Cowboys might make a two-for-one trade (giving Arizona Nos. 12 and 20 overall) to get into this spot, because no team has given up two first-round picks in the same year to move into the top three since 2003,” he states. “So, the Cards pick Bailey to shore up their moribund pass rush.”

The Arizona Cardinals have a lot of holes in their lineup, but none of them are as important as edge-rusher.

Even though this draft class has an exceptional amount of good pass rushers, Bailey is one of the few who will be ready to go from the get-go, and that’s exactly what the Cardinals need.

So, this is a pick that makes too much sense. Don’t expect Arizona to pass up on the opportunity to snag this budding edge star.

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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 10:06 PM.