
T.J. Yeldon to Jaguars: Twitter Reacts as RB Is Selected in 2015 NFL Draft
T.J. Yeldon is the latest star to emerge from Alabama's running back factory, which has produced early-round selections like Glen Coffee, Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy in recent seasons, and he found an NFL home on Friday after the Jaguars selected him with the 36th overall pick.
Yeldon Selected With No. 36 Pick by Jaguars
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The NFL announced the Jaguars' selection of Yeldon with the 36th overall selection. Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports, Chris Mortensen of ESPN and Buck Brooks of NFL.com quickly gave their take on how Yeldon impacts the Jaguars' situation in the backfield:
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com even responded to Adam Schefter of ESPN reacting to the selection:
The Jaguars also provided a statement from general manager David Caldwell:
Yeldon, thanks in large part to a deep supporting cast, wound up being a three-year contributor without putting too much wear and tear on his body. He carried the ball just 576 times during his career at Alabama, good for 3,322 yards and 37 touchdowns. Add in his 46 receptions, and Yeldon finished with a very reasonable 622 total touches.
Given the rate most college coaches would work someone with Yeldon's skill set, his mostly fresh legs have to be a positive sign for NFL minds. Listed at 6'1" and 226 pounds, Yeldon is the classic Alabama running back prototype. He excels at running between the tackles, using a decisive first step and he has a nuanced understanding of where holes should be to gain his yards.
While he will probably never be categorized as a burner, Yeldon was consistently able to churn yards in midsize chunks. Teams were likely concerned when Yeldon ran a 4.61 time at the combine, but Alabama head coach Nick Saban believes he has many positive attributes, per Rainer Sabin of The Dallas Morning News: “He's got great size, is very instinctive, hard-worker, good person, can catch really well, big enough to block and protect. I think he will do just fine.”
Yeldon, like most other Alabama running backs, draws concerns about his relative lack of experience in the passing game and lack of downfield burst. In a platoon with Denard Robinson, though, he may be the perfect traditional complement.
Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.

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