Chiefs Roster: RB Emani Bailey could outplay his athletic testing

The devaluation of the working again place within the NFL is best to see in the course of the NFL Draft. On this 12 months’s class, the place wasn’t chosen till choose 46 — after which solely three different occasions earlier than Day 3, the ultimate 4 rounds of the occasion.

So when a again enters the draft with unimpressive athletic testing, it may well drive their worth even additional down. That was the case with TCU working again Emani Bailey. After speeding for 1,209 yards and incomes honorable point out All-Massive 12 in 2023, Bailey was an intriguing identify to contemplate on draft weekend.

Then, Bailey attended the mix, measuring 5’7” and 202 lbs. That unideal height-weight ratio was paired with a 40-yard sprint time of 4.61 seconds and below-average explosive outcomes. The low Relative Athletic Rating (RAS) might have discouraged groups from concentrating on him within the draft, together with the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs: normal supervisor Brett Veach tends to worth gamers with excessive marks in RAS.

Nevertheless, Bailey signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent, making an attempt to make the staff at a place with minimal future outlook other than starter Isiah Pacheco. His competitors is Clyde Edwards-Helaire, then a bunch of gamers with essentially the most expertise coming through the follow squad.

That can give Bailey an opportunity to show himself this summer season. He’ll pop extra when he takes the sphere than his athletic testing would counsel. Right here’s what to know in regards to the underrated again:

Quick, explosive bursts

In 2023, Bailey averaged 5.4 yards per carry and three runs of 10 or extra yards per recreation. He had the juice to get to a protection’s second and third degree when the blocking allowed.

Bailey has short-area acceleration after the handoff, which he makes use of strategically to get previous defenders to the second and third ranges. His burst is faster than a linebacker’s response time, so he can erase pursuit angles within the field.

On the second run of this clip, you see a linebacker put together to fulfill Bailey within the gap — however the again jets outdoors immediately, leaving the defender to achieve and miss on his deal with.

Bailey’s situational pace into the open area creates a nasty one-step reduce inside. He has very environment friendly toes, swiftly altering course and doing it earlier than the oncoming defender can react accordingly. In 2023, Bailey averaged practically six pressured missed tackles per recreation when working the ball.

Making performs himself

His uneven, energetic toes, mixed along with his stout body, make him a troublesome participant to deal with cleanly one-on-one. He can brush off arm swipes and can spin off contact to remain up on a play.

On the similar time, Bailey doesn’t play behind his pads as a lot because it seems he might. He can run too upright, which prevents him from ending via defenders. If he doesn’t have the area to initially get going, he isn’t as onerous to complete to the turf.

That’s why Bailey is a weapon on checkdowns to the flat: it offers him area to function, and his one-cut capability exhibits up right here, making oncoming defenders miss. Within the third play of this clip, Bailey is proven going up for a ball above his head, then rapidly making a defender miss proper after to realize a couple of extra yards.

Cross-down capability

Bailey’s pure palms are confirmed within the statistics: he was credited with only one drop over the 35 targets he noticed at TCU in 2022 and 2023. He appears to be snug as a receiver.

That extends to catches made downfield. On this play, Bailey sprints up the seam, securing a bullet over the defender in a decent contest. The sturdy catch exhibits that the working again can do extra as a receiver than merely catch dumpoffs.

Nevertheless, Bailey might want to enhance in cross safety to be able to be trusted on apparent cross downs. This clip exhibits three examples of Bailey not ending a block, resulting in an pointless hit on the quarterback.

These performs gained’t be acceptable in Kansas Metropolis when blocking for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The underside line

The present state of the Chiefs’ working again place is up within the air after Pacheco. A number of lesser-known gamers might make their mark on the staff in 2024.

Bailey has the talents to enrich Pacheco’s linear working model. Bailey’s footwork and short-area bursts match the Chiefs’ zone-run scheme, possibly much more than Pacheco generally does. He gained’t have the identical big-play capability, however Bailey might maximize crowded containers greater than the extra inflexible Pacheco.

In that means, he’s akin to Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The 2 backs have similarities in measurement and play model. Bailey might have extra juice as a ball service, however that may’t be confirmed till each hit the sphere.

It is going to make for an intriguing battle for snaps behind Pacheco. Bailey isn’t any assure to make the 53-man roster, however he’s rather more intriguing than his pre-draft testing and undrafted standing would counsel.