Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Chiefs taking a shot in the dark on extremely productive UDFA RB Emani Bailey

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Charles Goldman | Last updated 4/29/24

The Kansas City Chiefs are betting that a highly productive undrafted free agent signing will be better than his pre-draft athletic testing showed.

The Chiefs typically put a premium on athleticism in the NFL draft and undrafted free agency. However, with recently-signed TCU RB Emani Bailey, they seem to be hanging their hat on what he put on tape. According to KPRC2 reporter Aaron Wilson, Bailey's deal with the Chiefs includes $210K in total guaranteed money. That's a lot for a running back, but it's a big risk when you consider Bailey's athletic profile. He tested very poorly for his size at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.

Emani Bailey is a RB prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored an unofficial 3.58 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 1135 out of 1765 RB from 1987 to 2024.

Splits projectedhttps://t.co/RrZPQEzJVU pic.twitter.com/2ygQDB0vYv
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 2, 2024

Bailey improved upon some of his numbers at the Big 12 pro day, running a 4.58 40-yard dash and jumping a 34.5-inch vertical. Even with the modest improvement, small and unathletic was the label Bailey received heading into the 2024 NFL draft. It ultimately led to him going undrafted.

The Chiefs are betting on Bailey's tape and production

Ahead of the combine and the Big 12 pro day, you probably never would have guessed that Bailey was a poor athlete. Turn on the tape and you'll find plenty of instances where he can accelerate and run away from opponents. The play below, for instance, shows that he can hit NFL speeds. For context, the fastest RB in the NFL last season was Bengals RB Chase Brown, who hit 22.05 miles per hour.

WATCH: TCU RB Emani Bailey (@ethabeast9) hit a max speed of 20.3 mph on this 32-yard touchdown. #ReelSpeed

https://t.co/UFKB2eWAzC pic.twitter.com/lwxbKHl9I0
— Reel Analytics (@RAanalytics) November 30, 2023

Bailey was also one of the most efficient producers at RB in the entirety of college football last season. He was one of just eight running backs in Power Conferences who rushed for over 1,200 yards and caught 25 receptions (no drops) in 2023. Add in the fact that he had nine scrimmage touchdowns, averaged 3.7 yards after contact, and forced 70 missed tackles, it's easy to understand why the Chiefs are making this bet.

That receiving ability is certainly something that Andy Reid will have his eyes on when the Chiefs' rookie minicamp gets underway next weekend.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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