Alabama running back T.J. Yeldon is drawing scouting comparisons to former first-round draft picks Darren McFadden and DeAngelo Williams, per NFL Media's Albert Breer.
"(Yeldon is) better than he gets credit for," said the AFC scout who cited Williams as Yeldon's match. "He's a good back, good vision, balanced runner, and better burst than overall speed."
The AFC scout told Breer he didn't think Yeldon could match McFadden's speed, selecting Williams as the best comparison for the Crimson Tide junior. Yeldon faces a winter decision of whether to turn pro early, as his backfield predecessors Eddie Lacy and Trent Richardson did before him. Yeldon's biggest question mark entering the season was whether he would solve the fumbling problem that flared in 2013 at some costly moments for the Alabama offense. An AFC director of college scouting told Breer that problem has been well-addressed.
"He's got good size, good hands, outstanding feet, and outstanding vision and run instincts," the scouting director said. "Ball security issues in the past, but he's gotten better there."
While Yeldon might lack McFadden's speed, he would do better to match Williams in terms of career NFL production.
Yeldon is coming off arguably his most impressive performance of the year, gashing Texas A&M for a season-high 8.8 yards per carry. He's rushed for 566 yards on 106 carries this season while splitting time, primarily with sophomore Derrick Henry. In more of a feature-back role last season, Yeldon rushed 207 times for 1,235 yards and 14 touchdowns.
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