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Devy Digest: Emani Bailey

Who is Emani Bailey?

Bailey was a high 3 star in the composites and attended Ryan High in Denton, Texas. Bailey was also a track athlete whom competed in the 100 meter dash, with a verified 11.04 in 2019 and was the anchor in the 4x100 meter dash and 4x200 meter dash. Bailey had initial offers from Louisiana, Tulsa and Northwestern State, he chose to attend Louisiana. His true Freshman season was COVID-19 year and in 2021 split carries with Montrell Johnson who is currently enrolled at Florida. Bailey was an efficient runner, averaging over 6 yards per carry, and amassed 8 touchdowns and had 15 receptions. Bailey would enter the transfer portal and wind up at TCU, where he was behind Kendre Miller. In 2023, during spring and fall camp, Bailey was in competition with Trey Sanders for the lead running back position, that ultimately would be won by Bailey.

Advance Metrics courtesy of Campus 2 Canton-

Rest of Season Outlook

Bailey keeps producing week in and week out, news broke this week that starting Quarterback- Chandler Morris will be out "for a while" there will be more workload put on Bailey to ensure the new starting Quarterback isn't put in low leverage situations. That could mean more pass work for Bailey for simple dump offs to get ahead of the chains. The outlook could be good for Bailey with a heavier workload on the ground and more work in the receiving game. TCU is going to be leaning on him and these next few weeks, we could see an explosion from Bailey.

Strengths

Bailey has continued to be an efficient runner and with his track background, one would assume he is more of a scat back, but that could not be further from the truth. Bailey is a violent runner, and one example of that is if you pull up the tape from the game against West Virginia, in the 4th Quarter in one drive, Bailey injured three West Virginia defenders on different plays. He runs with a purpose and will run through you to get to his destination. Bailey is a one cut and accelerate type of runner. He runs violently and as if he was shot out of a cannon. Bailey has soft hands and is effective in the passing game.

Improvements/Concerns

There really isn't enough reps of him as a pass blocker and in the college game, a lot of systems don't call for that, they will swing them out and if there is a blitz, the Quarterback will check down. It's something to take note and we do need to see more reps of that, with him being under 210lbs, NFL teams might be leery of that and how effective he could be. Another issue could be his style, his quick burst and violent running may not be conducive with him being below 210lbs. It's just speculation but the wear and tear could be too much at the next level. Most teams utilize a two back system, which could alleviate those concerns.

Devy Value

Bailey's value is climbing by the week. He was virtually free due to the uncertainty before the season. In C2C leagues, he is a viable starter and holds devy value. The window to buy him has passed, if you have him, you are holding or selling if you are loaded on your NFL side at the RB position and can afford to fill in with another player in your starting line up, it's worth seeing what you can get.

NFL Outlook

With the running back position being devalued, it's hard to say day two draft capital. More than likely, he is a early day three guy with the potential of teams trading up at the end of day two, to secure him. An ideal landing spot would be an older back or a back on an expiring contract, where Bailey can get in some work early on and then take over in a year or two.