Arkansas Razorbacks NFL Draft Profile: Alvin Bailey

Strengths

Bailey certainly looks the part of an NFL guard. He’s well-proportioned with a natural anchor and arm length of nearly 35 inches. And at the combine he showed athleticism, dropping a 4.9 in the 40-yard dash.

At Arkansas, Bailey was a three-year starter, seizing a starting job in his redshirt freshman season and keeping for all 38 games of his Razorback career. In the Petrino-installed offense, offensive linemen rotated depending on the strong side of the formation, giving Bailey experience on both the left and right sides.

When he maintains proper technique, Bailey can be a dominating blocker in a downhill, power running game.

Here he is in his own words

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Weaknesses

Too often, Bailey failed to maintain proper pad level or lost leverage, allowing opposing defenders to cross his face and get penetration.

He also consistently struggled with quick pass rushers. Though he has good speed and a quick first step, his lateral movement, especially when pass blocking in space, has been subpar.

Verdict

Bailey can be an NFL starter, and possibly a successful, long-lasting one. His durability (no games missed in college career) and experience on both sides of the line are real assets, as are his natural speed, strength and size. Inconsistency in technique can be coached out, but his struggles against elite pass rushers limit Bailey’s upside and will likely land him in the middle-late rounds of this year’s draft.

It should be noted, it didn't take long for Bret Bielema to criticize the Petrino staff's teaching of offensive line technique. With proper coaching, the Arkansas offensive line was clearly improved in the 2013 spring game and it should only get better by fall. Perhaps Bailey's draft stock would have benefitted from staying his senior year and receiving that coaching in college, but it does suggest that there's a chance Bailey could quickly improve with proper NFL coaching.