ESPN’s May: T.J. Yeldon would be a good fit for Arizona Cardinals

Much has been made about this draft’s running back class, especially its top two prospects in Georgia’s Todd Gurley and Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon.

The Arizona Cardinals have been linked to each runner fairly often, though the question of whether one will even be available when they are on the clock at 24 is a valid one.

However, even if one of them is there for the taking at 24, there is a strong possibility the Cardinals will pass in favor of a different position.

This is, after all, one of the deepest running back classes in years, and the Cardinals may decide they can find a capable runner in the later rounds, freeing them up to spend their top pick on someone else.

If that is the play, ESPN NCAA analyst Mark May thinks the Cardinals can find some real good value.

“You need a plugger, you need somebody like a (T.J.) Yeldon, that’s 225 pounds, Jay Ajayi from Boise State, I like him, he’s 221 pounds,” May told Burns and Gambo on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Tuesday. “You need a guy that you can depend on first and second down because you already have your third-down back.”

May does not see someone like Miami’s Duke Johnson as a good fit because he is similar in stature and ability to Andre Ellington, who is already on the Cardinals’ roster.

That’s why, if the Cardinals don’t go with Gurley or Gordon, he sees the 6-foot-1 Yeldon, from Alabama, and the 6-foot Ajayi as excellent fits.

Yeldon, in particular, is an interesting prospect. He ran for just 979 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, but had racked up 2,343 yards and 26 scores over the two seasons before that. He was timed as fast as 4.52 seconds in the 40-yard dash at his pro day.

“He had a few injuries at Alabama,” May said. “Everybody knew the talent that he had. When he was healthy, you saw what he was able to do.

“But here’s the key about Yeldon: here’s a guy that can not only run the ball, we know about that, (he) can catch the ball and make something — he has great hands. And here’s the thing that’s most important, he’s like Gurley, he can block.”

So far this offseason, the Cardinals have given little indication they are looking to replace Ellington, which could mean any runner they pick in the draft is meant to complement him.

And if that’s the case, it would not really make much sense to spend their first-round pick on a running back, even if Gurley and/or Gordon are on the board when they are on the clock.

But it’s hard to picture the Cardinals leaving the draft without a running back, which means someone like Yeldon could very much be in play on day two or three.