Chiefs UDFA running back Emani Bailey could outplay athletic testing

Chiefs UDFA running back Emani Bailey could outplay athletic testing

The devaluation of the running back position in the NFL is easiest to see during the NFL Draft. In this year’s class, the position wasn’t chosen until pick 46 — and then only three other times before Day 3, the final four rounds of the event.

So when a back enters the draft with unimpressive athletic testing, it can drive their value even further down. That was the case with TCU running back Emani Bailey. After rushing for 1,209 yards and earning honorable mention All-Big 12 in 2023, Bailey was an intriguing name to consider on draft weekend.

Then, Bailey attended the combine, measuring 5’7” and 202 lbs. That unideal height-weight ratio was paired with a 40-yard dash time of 4.61 seconds and below-average explosive results. The low Relative Athletic Score (RAS) may have discouraged teams from targeting him in the draft, including the Kansas City Chiefs: general manager Brett Veach tends to value players with high marks in RAS.

However, Bailey signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent, attempting to make the team at a position with minimal future outlook aside from starter Isiah Pacheco. His competition is Clyde Edwards-Helaire, then a group of players with the most experience coming via the practice squad.

That will give Bailey a chance to prove himself this summer. He'll pop more when he takes the field than his athletic testing would suggest. Here’s what to know about the underrated back:

Short, explosive bursts

In 2023, Bailey averaged 5.4 yards per carry and three runs of 10 or more yards per game. He had the juice to get to a defense's second and third level when the blocking allowed.

Bailey has short-area acceleration after the handoff, which he uses strategically to get past defenders to the second and third levels. His burst is quicker than a linebacker’s reaction time, so he can erase pursuit angles in the box.

On the second run of this clip, you see a linebacker prepare to meet Bailey in the hole — but the back jets outside instantly, leaving the defender to reach and miss on his tackle.

Bailey’s situational speed into the open field creates a nasty one-step cut back inside. He has very efficient feet, swiftly changing direction and doing it before the oncoming defender can react accordingly. In 2023, Bailey averaged nearly six forced missed tackles per game when running the ball.

Making plays himself

His choppy, active feet, combined with his stout frame, make him a tough player to tackle cleanly one-on-one. He can brush off arm swipes and will spin off contact to stay up on a play.

At the same time, Bailey doesn’t play behind his pads as much as it appears he could. He can run too upright, which prevents him from finishing through defenders. If he doesn’t have the space to initially get going, he isn’t as hard to finish to the turf.

That’s why Bailey is a weapon on checkdowns to the flat: it gives him space to operate, and his one-cut ability shows up here, making oncoming defenders miss. In the third play of this clip, Bailey is shown going up for a ball above his head, then quickly making a defender miss right after to gain a few more yards.

Pass-down ability

Bailey’s natural hands are proven in the statistics: he was credited with just one drop over the 35 targets he saw at TCU in 2022 and 2023. He seems to be comfortable as a receiver.

That extends to catches made downfield. In this play, Bailey sprints up the seam, securing a bullet over the defender in a tight contest. The strong catch shows that the running back can do more as a receiver than simply catch dumpoffs.

However, Bailey will need to improve in pass protection in order to be trusted on obvious pass downs. This clip shows three examples of Bailey not finishing a block, leading to an unnecessary hit on the quarterback.

These plays won’t be acceptable in Kansas City when blocking for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The bottom line

The current state of the Chiefs’ running back position is up in the air after Pacheco. Several lesser-known players could make their mark on the team in 2024.

Bailey has the skills to complement Pacheco's linear running style. Bailey’s footwork and short-area bursts fit the Chiefs’ zone-run scheme, maybe even more than Pacheco sometimes does. He won’t have the same big-play ability, but Bailey may maximize crowded boxes more than the more rigid Pacheco.

In that way, he’s comparable to Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The two backs have similarities in size and play style. Bailey may have more juice as a ball carrier, but that can’t be proven until both hit the field.

It will make for an intriguing battle for snaps behind Pacheco. Bailey is no guarantee to make the 53-man roster, but he is much more intriguing than his pre-draft testing and undrafted status would suggest.