Lane Kiffin Says Tide RBs ‘more talented’ Than Any NFL trio
By Tony Breland
Lane Kiffin has never shied away from creating controversy, and he’s done so once again when talking about his corps of running backs.
Alabama’s offensive coordinator said on Thursday at a Mobile speaking engagement that his first three options at running back – junior T.J. Yeldon, sophomore Derrick Henry and junior Kenyan Drake – are as good as any trio of backs in the NFL.
“There probably aren’t three more talented tailbacks in the NFL on a roster than we’re fortunate to be able to work with at Alabama.”
“There probably aren’t three more talented tailbacks in the NFL on a roster than we’re fortunate to be able to work with at Alabama,” Kiffin said.
While it’s certainly a bold statement and more than a little hyperbolic, the question stands: which NFL team has a more solid stable of running backs than does Alabama?
Starter T.J. Yeldon is almost a lock to be a first-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-2, 218-pound Yeldon set freshman records at Alabama with 1,108 yards on 154 carries and 12 touchdowns. He also tied Mark Ingram’s touchdown record with 12.
As a sophomore in 2013, Yeldon gained 1,235 yards on 207 attempts and was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection. He figures to have a career-making season as a junior for the Crimson Tide.
Kiffin calls Yeldon a “very physical runner.”
Derrick Henry is the beast to Yeldon’s beauty on the field. Henry rolls over defenders Yeldon can dance around, and toward the end of his freshman season had begin to pick up the nuances of pass blocking, leading Saban to give Henry more playing time.
“Finishing his true freshman year at 245 pounds, running 4.4, that was really easy to come in and see that it’d be good to give him the ball,” Kiffin said of his power back.
Henry was named the scariest player in college football by CFB 24/7, and it’s a distinction he likely will earn in his sophomore season.
Kenyan Drake is the best third-string back in the country, and could start at most schools not blessed with an embarrassment of riches at tailback. With 694 yards on 92 carries, Drake is an elusive, rangy runner that gains extra yards after being hit. The knock on him has been ball security, but no more so last year than Yeldon. Drake will likely make highlight reels this season, causing analysts to wonder what he’d be able to do if there weren’t so much talent ahead of him on the depth chart.
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Taken together, this group of tailbacks is the best tandem in the country, and while Kiffin’s statement has generated controversy, is not all that brash. The NFL is a pass-first league, and running backs famously have short careers in the pros.
CFB 24/7 has a great piece putting Kiffin’s statement to the test by breaking down the top NFL trios.
Kiffin’s boss Nick Saban is predictably more reserved when speaking about Alabama’s tailbacks, declining to even say which one is the best back on the team.
“I’d rather look at it like we have three really good running backs; I think all a little bit different in style,” Saban said. “They’ve all been pretty productive at some point in a game and I don’t think it’s necessary to compare them at all. They all work hard, do a good job, want to do what’s best for the team, and I think they can all contribute in a very positive way to our team.”