Welker, Crabtree, Blackmon, Austin/Bailey and the Dana Holgorsen Connection
the above were all WRs that starred for holgorsen, as position coach, OC or HC...
below article* predraft in march, written from steelers perspective (they ended up getting markus wheaton from oregon st. with 79th pick in 3rd... bailey went in same round with 92nd pick)...
exec summary (some points regarding how bailey's physical tools and skill set might translate to NFL that i found salient... in fact, i found the writer to be pretty incisive in general and did a commendable job raising my awareness of bailey's potential)...
bailey lowered his combine time of 4.52 to 4.48 at his pro day (imo, on film he looks 4.4 to me, for what its worth... he seems to be able to summon the jets or extra gear, the short area burst, acceleration and suddenness to routinely get behind DBs in coverage, at times even despite being double teamed - while speed obviously not the sole attribute or trait "responsible" (also route running precision, toughness, body control, hands, etc.), no way he scores 25 TDs in 2012 without exceptional quickness AND speed...
bailey's 25 TDs were third in ncaa history, and broke fellow holgorsen pupil crabtree's big 12 record of 22 TDs...
impressive quote by thomas, who i remember from way back as being at least a respected enough of an independent scout to see many of his writeups and scouting profiles on official NFL site...
"Bailey is the best value pick in the draft, and the best route runner, said Dave-Te' Thomas, who operates Scouting Services Inc. and provides detailed draft analysis for NFL teams, including the Steelers.
BTW, BEFORE being exposed to the article, i had recently attempted to formulate what NFL predecessors, who may or may not have had succes, that were reminiscent of bailey (ie - comp player), in terms of a composite, hybrid or amalgam... the smoothness of his routes and deceptive deep speed reminded me of a shorter greg jennings at 5'10" 193 lbs. (jennings 5'11" 198 lbs.), and his toughness attacking the ball in the air and hardnosed, underrated RAC skills (at approx 4:50 mark of below clip, he catches the pass around the 10 yard line, rather than try and bounce it outside the outer DB, he turns it in towards the inner DB, is tackled near 5 yard line, than as he is dragged and spun headfirst and downwards towards the turf, he has the presence of mind, wherewithal and field awareness to make sure and extend the ball past the goal line while he is rotating in mid-air) reminded me of smaller hines ward (ward listed at 6' 205 lbs.)... jennings ran a 4.42 and ward a 4.55 at their respective combines...
the article mentions by way of ward connection that bailey was outstanding on ST (willing to do dirty work of blocking and tackling)...
about 9 minute highlight reel of bailey's awesome WV career/resume... his final (junior) season begins approx 3:55 mark...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TWLXrlF8SE
the focus here is on bailey, who doesn't get the attention of austin (admittedly very different draft pedigree neighborhoods, bailey not in park place like his more heralded teammate)... however, i also thought it was cool that welker, a player austin is sometimes compared to, was coached by same person... maybe some of the things instilled in welker that enabled him to better translate his tools and skills to success at the next level, would similarly help austin (and of course, on the bonus plan, austin is far faster and probably quicker as well, compared to his brilliantly accomplished predecessor welker - in sense of being fellow holgorsen proteges)... at 5'9" 185 lbs, welker about 1" taller and 5 lbs bigger than austin...
*
http://triblive.com/sports/johnharris/3680790-74/bailey-steelers-austin#axzz2aEuM67JP
When Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said we have to find players via free agency and the draft Sunday, I assume he was including the receiver position.
Mike Wallace is gone, and we don't know if the New England Patriots really want Emmanuel Sanders or if they're using the threat of signing him to retain some of their own players.
Let's assume Sanders leaves. Even if he stays, the Steelers need another wideout for depth. They also need someone who can stretch the secondary.
Someone such as West Virginia's Stedman Bailey.
I used to think that Bailey's teammate, Tavon Austin, would be perfect for the Steelers. But Austin is similar in size to Antonio Brown, who signed a $42.5 million contract last year.
Austin believes he's the most talented player in this year's NFL Draft. He could be right. He's a faster version of Wes Welker and a product of the same system; both played slot receiver and were coached by Dana Holgorsen in college. Austin likely will be available when the Steelers select with the No. 17 pick next month.
It's difficult to see the Steelers taking a receiver with their first pick when there are holes at linebacker and the offensive line especially after reports surfaced the Steelers were considering free-agent left tackle Jake Long, who signed with St. Louis.
Bailey projected to be drafted in the second or third round makes more sense. He's not as fast as Austin, but he's bigger and is a more complete receiver who does all the little things the Steelers demand from their wideouts. He even dropped his time in the 40-yard dash from 4.52 at the NFL Scouting Combine in February to 4.48 at West Virginia's Pro Day last week.
What makes Bailey such an attractive prospect? He outplayed some of the top cornerbacks in college football and posted eye-popping statistics while playing for a coach with an excellent track record for sending talented receivers to the pros.
Bailey is the best value pick in the draft, and the best route runner, said Dave-Te' Thomas, who operates Scouting Services Inc. and provides detailed draft analysis for NFL teams, including the Steelers.
Bailey, who left WVU with a year of eligibility remaining, led the country with 25 touchdowns among his 114 receptions in 2012 the third-highest total in NCAA FBS history and broke Michael Crabtree's Big 12 record of 22 touchdown grabs in 2007 (Crabtree, too, was coached by Holgorsen in college). No active college player has reached Bailey's 41 career touchdown grabs.
Stedman's body control, the smoothness which he runs his routes his overall feel for the game is uncanny, said quarterback Geno Smith, who was Bailey's teammate in college and high school. It's something you only see on Sundays.
Bailey diversified his game to include not only receiving skills he was among three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award but also his willingness to excel in less glamorous roles as a defender and blocker on special teams.
Bailey led West Virginia with 10 special teams tackles last season (seven solo), recording at least one stop in eight games. He also finished third in the Big 12 with 1,781 all-purpose yards.
All teams want rookies to come in and play special teams. That's saying a lot about his toughness, said Tony Fleming, Bailey's Florida-based agent.
Hines Ward became respected as much for his blocking as his receiving skills with the Steelers. Bailey is a Ward clone in that regard.
Bailey made two great blocks to free Austin on a long kickoff return against Texas while matching the speedy Austin stride for stride along the sideline. In a 2011 game against LSU, Bailey viciously rocked cornerback Morris Claiborne twice on the same play. Claiborne became so incensed that he retaliated and received a personal foul.
Bailey burned Claiborne with eight receptions for 115 yards and a 20-yard touchdown. Claiborne was the No. 6 overall selection in the 2012 draft.
Bailey's performance against Oklahoma (13 receptions for 205 yards and four touchdowns) may have convinced Sooners All-Big 12 cornerback Aaron Colvin to return for his senior season. Bailey's 13 catches for 303 yards and five touchdowns against Baylor was the best performance in school history and ranks among the best of all time.
Prior to the combine, Fleming hired a receivers coach to prepare Bailey and some of his other clients for what to expect in Indianapolis. It turned out to be new assistant coach Richard Mann before he joined the Steelers.
It's pretty ironic, said Bailey, who met with Mann and coach Mike Tomlin following West Virginia's Pro Day. I felt like the vibe between us was good. He's a down-to-earth, humorous guy who made me laugh. When I worked with Coach Mann, he was searching for a job. Now he's with the Steelers, and I know they need receivers. I'm quite sure he'll remember me.
Bailey's high level of success in his three years at West Virginia will make him difficult to forget.
John Harris is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jharris@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JHarris_Trib.