Forget the forty time. I know everyone wants to talk about the forty time.

David Bailey ran a 4.50 at this combine at 6-3, 260 pounds, and yes, that's a real number for a player his size, and yes, it matters. But the forty tells you one thing: straight-line first-step speed. It does not tell you whether a player can turn the corner on an NFL tackle, whether his pass rush moves hold up when a right tackle gives him a firm set and takes away the speed path, or whether he's a two-down specialist or an every-down disruptor.

The tape answers all of those questions. Go watch Texas Tech's 2025 season tape, specifically the games against teams with professional-caliber right tackles. What you'll see is a player who does several things at an elite level.

His initial get-off is the first thing. Bailey's snap timing is exceptional — he reads the ball rather than the count, which means he's moving when the ball moves, not a beat after. Against good linemen, that beat is the entire play.

The second thing is his hand usage on contact. When a right tackle tries to punch and establish the inside hand, Bailey has a counter — a quick outside swipe that redirects the tackle's momentum and creates a lane inside. It's not a move most college players have. It requires recognizing the punch before it lands and reacting to the anticipation, not the contact. That's a refined technique for a player at this level.

What he doesn't do perfectly — and this is worth noting because the perfect players don't exist — is convert speed to power consistently. When a tackle squares him up and neutralizes the speed rush, Bailey's bull rush counter isn't there yet. He'll need to develop it at the NFL level or offensive coordinators will game-plan around his tendency to go back to the speed move and give their tackles a cheat.

That's a coachable problem. It's a problem that ten years of NFL strength work will fix.

Bailey is the best defensive player in this draft. The tape says so, and the forty time is just confirmation.