How Will T.J. Yeldon Fair in the NFL?

Spring practice starts this Friday for the Tide, and while they'll be loaded at the running back position yet again, Nick Saban's squad will be without their staple running back from the past three seasons: T.J. Yeldon.

Yeldon decided to leave the University of Alabama after three seasons in Tuscaloosa to put his name in the 2015 NFL Draft hat. He is considered one of the best running backs in the draft class, as many analysts have him being drafted either in the second or third round.

He was on pace to shatter the all-time Alabama rushing record had he stayed another year at The Capstone, but how will his talents transition to the professional level?

For starters, Yeldon may have the best, quickest feet out of all the running backs in this draft class. Having quick feet is usually the difference between picking up three yards and getting stuffed at the line of scrimmage for no gain. His agility gives him the ability to quickly shift to an open hole at the line of scrimmage, as they tend to close extremely fast at the NFL level.

One of the biggest things that most NFL teams are now wanting in a running back is the ability to catch the ball out of the back field. While the number one job of a running back on pass plays is typically pass protection, being the check down option for quarterbacks is critical, and Yeldon has the skill to catch the ball in the flats and make one-on-one plays against linebackers and safeties.

Alabama fans don't need any reminding of this skill of Yeldon's, as they all will never forget the 2012 game against LSU when Yeldon housed the game-winning touchdown with just under a minute remaining in the game... off a screen pass.

Of course, this is the NFL and any flaws a player may possess can be and is often pinpointed by other teams to take advantage of by exploiting those weaknesses, and Yeldon does have a few.

He is an upright runner, and while his quick feet usually kept him from getting hit very hard in college, at the NFL level, he needs to lower his body and his pads in order to avoid any bone-crushing hits from players like Kam Chancellor and J.J. Watt.

Also, Alabama fans know all too well his minor issue with ball security. Not only is it a fumbling issue, it's the timing of the fumbles. While at Alabama, he may not have fumbled an abnormal number of times, it seemed that Yeldon would fumble the football at the most inopportune times, whether it be inside the redzone on either end of the field, in "crunch time" of a big game, or in the middle of an integral drive of the football game.

All in all, I think Yeldon can be a serviceable back in the NFL. He'll more than likely go in the second or third round, but with the declining use of production from running backs in the league, don't look for Yeldon to be a premier back for at least a couple years as he will continue to develop and fine tune his game.