Quick quiz: This Arkansas Razorback, a junior who has declared his eligibility for the 2008 NFL Draft, has game-breaking speed, rushed for more than 1,000 yards in 2006 and 2007, was second in the SEC in all purpose yardage in 2007, and is a threat to turn a 1-yard gain into an 85-yard run faster than Bobby Petrino can change jobs. He’s also projected to be one of the first running backs to be taken on draft day. Name him?

If you answered Darren McFadden, you would be incorrect.

Meet Felix Jones, a 6-0, 205-pound Razorback who, like McFadden, may be forcing defensive coordinators in the league next season to figure out creative ways to neutralize his talent.

Jones has lived in McFadden’s shadow at Arkansas for three seasons while building up his own impressive stats, so much so that NFL scouts are almost as high on his versatile talents as they are of his more heralded teammate.

Not only can Jones burn a touchdown run by taking advantage of his 4.4 speed, he is quite accomplished as a receiver out of the backfield and established himself as one of the top kick returners in the nation in his junior season.

Jones ran for 1,162 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2007 while making just three starts.  For those of you keeping score at home, that’s 8.7 yards per carry. He had six games of over 100 yards this season, including a career-high 166 and three touchdowns in a 48-36 win over South Carolina.

He was second in the SEC with 153.08 all-purpose yards and was the fourth leading kick returner in the NCAA, averaging 29.64 yards per return while producing two touchdowns.

In his sophomore season of 2006, Jones eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark with 1,168 yards and six touchdowns. He complimented those numbers with three touchdowns receptions, which helped to solidify his triple-threat talent status, something that would make him an ideal third-down back and return man in NFL offenses, and possibly, with a little work, a dangerous featured back.

The knocks on Jones are his size and lack of power as a bruising runner. Yes, he can flat out fly if he gets to the outside, where he is a threat to turn anything into six points. Scouts worry that he doesn’t have enough of an inside-running burst to get the tough yardage between the tackles. He’s not a great blocker, so he would need to hone that skill to pick up blitz packages before popping open on screen or swing pass routes.

There is also a fear that since he wasn’t the featured back at Arkansas, he may not have the endurance to take a beating and carry the ball 20-25 times a game.

Our guess is that GMs like what they see from Jones already, enough to make him a rising commodity among the available backs. Some pundits even have him as the third-rated back in this class, and he should be taken sometime in the first round.

Minus the Heisman trophy and parental real estate scandal, you could liken Jones’ game to that of Reggie Bush, who is still trying to find his stride in the NFL.

It’s also quite extraordinary that Jones and McFadden are likely to be first round picks, marking the second time in four years that two elite backs from the same college team are rated so high.

In 2005, Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown were taken in the first round out of Auburn.

Brown, who was Williams’ backup, was the second overall selection by the Miami Dolphins, while Williams was the fifth selection of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

While McFadden and Jones probably won’t replicate what Williams and Brown accomplished on draft day, they do have a chance to surpass the duo’s on-field accomplishments. Both Williams and Brown have had injury-plagued careers. Brown topped the 1,000-yard mark in 2006, but has not rushed for more than five touchdowns in a season. Williams exploded onto the scene for the Bucs in 2005, rushing for 1,178 yards and six touchdowns and was named the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. But Williams regressed in 2006, rushing for just 798 yards and last season, tore his patellar tendon and played in just four games.

Regardless of where Jones is taken, he is sure to have an impact with a NFL team next season.  Look for him to make some noise as a kick returner and to make some big plays in short passing situations next year. And don’t count him out as a featured running back. In the right system, Jones will prove to be a legitimate triple threat.


Marc Pruitt is the managing editor of the Sports Buff Fantasy Network and a contributing writer for Draft Stock