Jacksonville Jaguars Take T.J. Yeldon With 36th Pick in NFL Draft

All three Alabama players who opted to enter the 2015 NFL Draft as juniors have now found new homes.

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected former Crimson Tide running back T.J. Yeldon with the 36th overall pick Friday. The third running back selected in this year's NFL Draft, Yeldon is the fifth Alabama player selected at his position since 2009 (Glen Coffee, Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy).

According to most mock drafts, the 6-foot-1, 226-pound Yeldon was projected as a second- or third-round pick. Todd Gurley (10th overall, St. Louis Rams) and Melvin Gordon (15th overall, San Diego Chargers) were picked in the first round on Thursday.

Yeldon follows wide receiver Amari Cooper and safety Landon Collins as Crimson Tide players drafted in 2015. Cooper was the fourth overall pick by the Oakland Raiders, while Collins was taken with the first pick of the second round (33rd overall) by the New York Giants.

A first or second option for the Crimson Tide since his debut as a freshman in 2012, Yeldon rushed for 3,322 yards and 37 touchdowns, with 494 yards and two scores on 46 catches during his three-year college career.

Yeldon's best season came in 2013 when he earned first-team All-SEC honors after rushing for 1,235 yards and 14 touchdowns, one year after gaining 1,108 yards and 12 touchdowns as a Freshman All-American and SEC All-Freshman team selection. Battling nagging injuries and splitting carries with Derrick Henry, Yeldon finished with a career-low 979 yards and 11 touchdowns last year.

With the Jaguars, Yeldon will compete for carries with running back/wide receiver Denard Robinson; Bernard Pierce, who was claimed off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens in March; former Heisman Trophy finalist Toby Gerhart; and Storm Johnson, a seventh-round draft pick in 2014.

Henry, who is the Crimson Tide's expected starting running back in 2015 and a native of Yulee located 24 miles north of Jacksonville, welcomed Yeldon to his home area:

Former Alabama long snapper and current Jacksonville Jaguar Carson Tinker was also happy to see Yeldon land with the Jags: