2015 NFL Draft: Alabama Playmakers Leaving School Early
No surprise here, only formalities as Alabama running bak T.J. Yeldon and wide receiver Amari Cooper have entered their names into the 2015 NFL Draft pool of prospects.
Both players are likely to be selected in the first two rounds, but Cooper is widely projected as the number one overall receiver in this year’s class, while Yeldon is somewhere in the middle of one of the deepest classes of running backs I can remember.
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Cooper set an SEC record with 124 catches this past season, racking up 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns en route to New York City as a Heisman Trophy finalist. There’s really nothing he can’t do as a receiver, though he’s not going to blow you away with size and speed like Calvin Johnson.
He’s a phenomenal route runner, knows how to get open, and gains yards after the catch. He makes plays in the short, intermediate, and deep areas of the field, is a reliable target, and despite being the focal point of defensive game planning, he gets himself open.
Alabama did a great job of using him this past year, though there were a lot of frustrated fans and NFL Draft pundits when they seemingly couldn’t get him the ball in the late stages of Alabama’s loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoffs (Sugar Bowl).
Yeldon struggled with injuries this past season but is a talented runner with size and speed. He might have to wait until the third round to hear his name called, but the fact that a player this talented can be second on his own college team in rushing is both a testament to Alabama’s talent and the factory that they have become for running backs.
The unfair disadvantage that Yeldon has is it seems like every year, the running back coming behind the starter is always perceived as better than yesterday’s flavor of the day. Yeldon was everyone’s favorite back a couple of years ago before Eddie Lacy left and was ultimately selected in the second round by the Green Bay Packers.
Coming in with this class among a large group of underclassmen running backs, offseason workouts and medical exams will be critical for Yeldon.