David Bailey possesses the one trait every great pass rusher needs

Ask any New York Jets coaching staff member what separates good pass rushers from great ones, and many will give the same answer. It isn’t just size or strength. It isn’t even sack production, as hard as that may be to believe.

All of those ingredients help, but as simple as it sounds, the greats have to know how to ‘win.’ It’s the ability to explode off the football before an offensive tackle has a chance to react.

That’s one of the reasons why the Jets fell in love with second-overall pick David Bailey during the pre-draft process. They believe they see explosiveness (along with the other traits that were mentioned), and ladies and gentlemen, early signs suggest they may have been right.

You can’t teach explosiveness, but David Bailey has it in abundance

Pass-rush technique can improve. Strength can be developed inside NFL weight rooms. Learning how to defend the run comes with experience. Explosiveness, however, is something players either possess or they don’t. Bailey has that, and he has it in abundance. National experts agree.

ESPN recently described Bailey’s first step for an update on every first-round draftee. He described the rookie’s quickness as his most noticeable trait throughout spring practices. Add left tackle Olu Fashanu to Bailey’s list of admirers. He offered perhaps the greatest compliment possible.

“He’s meant to be an edge rusher.”

That isn’t praise handed out lightly by someone who practices against him every day. Sure, Bailey is still a rookie, but there are so many traits that can’t be taught, and good news for Jets fans: Everything else is teachable.

ESPN noted there is still work to do against the run, while Bailey will continue learning how to convert speed into power as a pass rusher. Fortunately for the Jets, as mentioned earlier, those are areas coaches can help develop through teaching over time.

What can’t be manufactured is the natural burst Bailey already brings to the edge. That’s why New York expects him to play meaningful snaps immediately. Training camp won’t determine whether Bailey belongs. He already does. Instead, it should reveal just how quickly one of the draft’s most explosive defenders is ready to contribute.

Jets Wire will continue to provide updates throughout the 2026 offseason.

This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: David Bailey possesses the one trait every great pass rusher needs