2024 Exclusive Sneak Peek: Emani Bailey, RB TCU
Welcome to the Exclusive Sneak Peek: Emani Bailey, a Running Back from TCU. He is from Denton, Texas, and was a 3-star recruit out of Ryan High School.
Bailey began his collegiate career at Louisiana in the Sun Belt Conference. In 2020 as a freshman he appeared in 5 games. During that limited playing time, he rushed for only 60 yards but did not find his way into the end zone.
In 2021 as a junior he appeared in 11 games for Louisiana and his stats saw an uptick as a result. He rushed for 642 yards and 8 touchdowns while adding in 15 receptions for 153 yards receiving.
He transferred to TCU for his 2022 junior season where he played in 14 games. His production was minimal in his first year with the Horned Frogs as he was behind Kendre Miller for most of the season. He rushed for 250 yards and 2 touchdowns while also contributing 7 receptions for 43 receiving yards.
He closed out his collegiate career at TCU as a senior in 2023 where he appeared in 12 games. He racked up a whopping 1,209 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns. Bailey also chipped in 25 receptions for 184 yards and 1 touchdown, easily the best season of his collegiate career.
Measurables
Height: 5’7” (2nd-percentile)
Weight: 207 lbs (32nd-percentile)
Age: 20.5
Class: Junior
NCAA Statistics
| Rushing | Receiving | Scrimmage | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD |
| *2020 | Louisiana | Sun Belt | FR | RB | 5 | 10 | 60 | 6.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 60 | 6.0 | 0 | |
| *2021 | Louisiana | Sun Belt | FR | RB | 11 | 102 | 642 | 6.3 | 8 | 15 | 153 | 10.2 | 0 | 117 | 795 | 6.8 | 8 |
| *2022 | TCU | Big 12 | JR | 14 | 31 | 250 | 8.1 | 2 | 7 | 43 | 6.1 | 0 | 38 | 293 | 7.7 | 2 | |
| 2023 | TCU | Big 12 | JR | RB | 12 | 223 | 1209 | 5.4 | 8 | 25 | 184 | 7.4 | 1 | 248 | 1393 | 5.6 | 9 |
| Career | Overall | 366 | 2161 | 5.9 | 18 | 47 | 380 | 8.1 | 1 | 413 | 2541 | 6.2 | 19 | ||||
| Louisiana | 112 | 702 | 6.3 | 8 | 15 | 153 | 10.2 | 0 | 127 | 855 | 6.7 | 8 | |||||
| TCU | 254 | 1459 | 5.7 | 10 | 32 | 227 | 7.1 | 1 | 286 | 1686 | 5.9 | 11 | |||||
Scouting Reports
Strengths
- Possesses excellent patience and is great at following his blockers.
- Has great vision and ability to find openings, especially when the outside presents opportunities.
- Special cut-back and juke moves allow him to be slippery and elusive.
- Shows great straight-line speed and is tough to track down from behind.
Weaknesses
- Is not big enough to be a between-the-tackles runner.
- His patience while positive, can be too extreme and can cause him to be hesitant at times.
- Often looks for the big plays to the outside even when there are easy yards right in front of him.
- Has a limited route tree and is far below average as a pass catcher, with limited college-receiving production.
Pre-Draft Analysis
Expected Draft Capital: Late Round 6/Early Round 7
Ideal Landing Spot: Las Vegas Raiders
What the Raiders are going to do with Josh Jacobs is a mystery. He could be back or he could move on, in the end, the Las Vegas backfield is up for grabs. If Jacobs isn’t back in 2024, the next in line would be Zamir White. White has shown some upside but may not be suited to a bell cow role.
The addition of Bailey at the tail end of Day 3 could give them a nice running-back tandem in the event Jacobs is gone. Even if Jacobs returns, having depth options at running back is always a solid move.
Bailey’s skillset may not be that of an elite running back, but he could very easily carve out a role for himself should the opportunity present itself.
Check out The Fantasy Football Universe video breakdown of Emani Bailey below.
