2012 NFL Draft: Syracuse University Running Back Antwon Bailey Is Versatile

Antwon Bailey is a small spark-plug playing running back for Syracuse University.  At the Syracuse pro day in early March, he measured in at just under 5’7” and 197 pounds and ran a 4.54 second 40-yard dash.  Bailey rushed for over 1,000 yards as a senior for Syracuse and was All-Big East First Team as a senior.

I asked him what that honor meant to him.  He told me “that it means a lot” and that it was “just a combination of all of the hard work that I have put in and the people around me have put in.”  He said “I think that means a lot, not only to myself, but also to the offensive line at Syracuse.  It's a big honor for me.”

Bailey is a versatile football player, and he can do a lot of different things on the football field.  I asked about his versatility.  He told me that versatility is part of who he is.  He told me that he followed up two really good running backs at Syracuse in Curtis Brinkley and Delone Carter.  He told me that he had to wait his turn before he could become the feature back.

When talking about his versatility he mentioned that he knew he had to be able to do different things than the other guys if he wanted to get on the field. “So I had to be able to block.  I had to be able to catch the ball. I had to be able to run routes, whether that was out if the backfield or at receiver.  So, that was a big part of me learning how to be versatile.”

I asked what moment stood out to him as a college athlete.  “My favorite moment as a college player had to be helping to rebuild the Syracuse program.  You know it's a very historic program and then when we won that Pinstripes Bowl championship.  You know, that, that meant the world to me.”  He said that it was great to share that with his teammates and that getting to play the first Bowl game in Yankee Stadium were great memories.

We talked about the history of the running backs to come out of Syracuse, from Jim Brown to Ernie Davis to the present.  He said the tradition was “something that you have to carry with you, being a Syracuse running back.”  He said that it was taught to the running back group, something that was preached to them and that it is always in the back of his mind.

When we talked about the NFL and what he thought he could offer to an NFL team, he told me “I'm a natural leader, but I think that something that comes with being a leader you have to be a good follower as a leader.”  He is going to “be a great teammate and a good guy in the locker room.  I am willing to play no matter where it is but also I know how to learn.”  He feels like he can help on third down and in blocking and says he has really exceptional hands.

He told me that he gets the comparison to Ray Rice, mainly because of the size comparable but also because of his versatility and way he gets utilized in the passing game.

I asked him what he would tell the fans of the team that drafts him.  He told me he was going to be very thankful for the opportunity and that he was “going to give everything he had” and that he was “going to give 100%, whether that’s on offense or special teams, you are going to get 100 percent of Antwon Bailey.”

Bailey is short in stature but hails from a school steeped in tradition for running backs.  He knows he is part of the history now and wants to make his mark in the NFL, like so many Syracuse running backs before him.

Scott Bischoff is a Contributor for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand or from official interview materials.