When a player of JaQuan Bailey’s caliber walks into Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, IA, it’s usually for the opposing team. Bailey wasn’t the typical Iowa State recruit. From his high school days, you could tell there was something different about the future Cyclones star.
Now, five years later, Bailey is arguably the best defensive end in Cyclones history. He has had a massive impact on Matt Campbell’s ascending program in Ames. Most importantly, Bailey has positioned himself as one of the biggest sleepers at the edge rusher position in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Who is Cyclones defensive end JaQuan Bailey?
Under the tutelage of head coach Deran Wiley, Bailey and his twin brother Joshua dominated the Florida high school football scene. The Bailey brothers led their team to a 12-2 record, and JaQuan took home Class 4A first-team All-State honors his senior year. Bailey capped his senior season with 89 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, and 14 sacks.
JaQuan was heavily recruited by some of the most storied programs in college football. The likes of Florida, Tennessee, Louisville, and Virginia Tech all came knocking. But when it came time to choose, family won out, and Bailey headed for the cardinal and gold of Iowa State with his brother Joshua.
Bailey came out of the gates strong for Iowa State and has improved every season. The Cyclones defensive end played every game his true freshman season, starting the final seven and notching the third-most sacks (3.5) by a rookie in school history. Bailey added 23 tackles and six tackles for loss in his freshman campaign, earning him an honorable mention for the freshman All-American team.
Bailey built upon the strong foundation he set his freshman year with an even better sophomore campaign. The pass-rusher started every game for the Cyclones his sophomore season, leading the team with seven sacks and earning honorable mention All-Big 12 honors. The seven sacks were good for fifth all-time in program history for a single season, a mark he would immediately best in his following junior season.
As a junior, Bailey started all 13 games at defensive end and finished the season with 8 sacks, good enough for third on the Cyclones all-time single-season sack list. Bailey also led the team with 46 tackles and 14.5 tackles for loss. For good measure, he also added a forced fumble and fumble recovery on his way to securing second-team All-Big 12 honors.
After missing his senior season due to a broken foot and securing a medical redshirt, Bailey comes into his redshirt senior season just one-half sack shy of setting the Cyclones all-time mark. More importantly, he stands on the precipice of giving the Cyclones two high draft picks in the 2021 NFL Draft with teammate Brock Purdy.
How high is Bailey’s ceiling, and what might prevent the Cyclones defensive end from reaching it?
Where Bailey excels
Bailey isn’t the fastest guy at the position. Nor is he the most agile or strongest EDGE prospect. But he doesn’t need to be to win consistently. Bailey has a few tricks up his sleeve that makes him a game plan destroyer for offensive coordinators.
The most consistent way Bailey wins is with a dynamic first step. Bailey’s quick get-off immediately puts the guy lined up across from him at a disadvantage. Getting an offensive lineman back on their heels and making them reactive instead of proactive is a facet of Bailey’s game that he has crafted well over the years.
In terms of strength, Bailey isn’t the strongest defensive end out there. But he makes up for it by being exceptional at converting speed to power. Football is a game of leverage, and you don’t always have to be stronger than your opponent to put him on his heels or back.
Bailey is a plus defender when it comes to using an offensive lineman’s leverage against him. This, combined with his first step, makes him a nightmare for even the most skilled linemen.
Having a good first step and understanding leverage isn’t always enough to win a rep. Sometimes, no matter how quick you are and how good you are at leveraging your opponent, they will beat you to a spot. That’s where you need to be able to counter a lineman.
Bailey has a good inside counter to allow him the inside leverage when his first step isn’t enough. It can get him in trouble at times (more on that later), but the swim move is a substantial part of Bailey’s pass-rush repertoire.
What areas still need work?
As I mentioned with Tarron Jackson, the ability to “bend the edge” isn’t a requirement to be a winning pass rusher. But not being able to do so is like playing with one hand tied behind your back.
The elite pass rusher have this ability in their toolbox, and it’s something that Bailey does not yet have in his. Flexibility is an issue for the Cyclones defensive end. It’s not going to be a deal-breaker necessarily, but it can be a tiebreaker when compared to similar prospects.
Perhaps more of a hindrance for Bailey to become an early selection in the 2021 NFL Draft is size. At 6-foot-2 and 255 pounds, Bailey may be seen by some teams as a “tweener” without a real position at the next level. Some may view him as a guy who is too big to be a full-time linebacker, but not quite big enough to be a full-time defensive end.
However, this may not be as big of an issue as it appears on the surface. Bailey has the type of frame where he could likely put on 10-15 pounds without losing much in the way of quickness and burst. He also could be asked to drop 10-15 pounds and play as a linebacker, which would involve more than just rushing the passer.
As a permanent linebacker, Bailey would likely be asked to play in coverage. The Cyclones did give their defensive end some experience here, as Bailey did occasionally fake the pass rush and drop back in zone coverage. It wasn’t a lot, but it does demonstrate some versatile ability.
The 2021 NFL Draft pass rushing class isn’t particularly strong. There are a few standouts available at the top, but there isn’t a whole lot of depth beyond the top four or five guys. If Bailey can put everything together and improve upon some of his weaknesses, he could see a rise up draft boards given his outstanding production and the lack of depth at the position.
Chris Spooner is an NFL Draft contributor for PFN. You can follow him on Twitter @CSpoonerNFL.