The 2013 college football season boasted an abundance of running back talent, but the cream of the crop were all underclassmen.To name some, Todd Gurley, TJ Yeldon, Mike Davis, Kelvin Taylor, Alex Collins, and so on, but a few of the draft eligible running backs proved their worth, as well. Tre Mason and Jeremy Hill represent SEC running backs in this years class as they lead a group of lesser names. The question is, how do they stack up against each other?

Tre Mason

The stats, the absurd Heisman campaign, the National Championship run; it is all there, but how well does he translate to the next level? As of now, Mason’s most glaring flaws are seen before he reaches the line of scrimmage. In the odd occasion that Auburn’s offensive line does not creating a gaping hole, Mason struggles to pick a running lane on his own. He stalls and hops around aimlessly in hopes that something is created in front of him.

In relation to his poor vision and stalling, his acceleration is rather mediocre. He stalls behind the line of scrimmage, yet does not have the acceleration to explode through a hole or create momentum and power in smaller spaces. Due to such lack of momentum and a lack of natural brute force, like Carlos Hyde, Mason struggles breaking tackles near the line of scrimmage, which inevitably ends in a number of rushes that go for no gain.

Although, to his credit, Mason shows above average long speed once he gets in to open space. His speed is not jaw dropping, but he is fast is enough to bust off a long touchdown run. Likewise, Mason’s lateral quickness and agility is quite impressive. If need be, he has the ability to hop out of a defender’s line of fire and into open field.

Jeremy Hill

Much like Mason, Hill’s vision is suspect. There are flashes of impressive ability to find and attack the best lane, but reversely, there are a number of times that he does not appear to even attempt to find the best lane. Instead, he will just run straight ahead.

To be fair, quickness and lateral movement is not Hill’s game. Hill’s change of direction is terribly slow. He takes too many steps and does not dip down sufficiently to explode upfield or in another direction. Likewise, Hill’s long speed is not enough for “homerun” type plays.

Thankfully, Hill excels elsewhere. In space, Hill shows incredible balance. When defenders dive at his legs, he is able to gracefully recover and continue on. When forced into more compact areas, Hill shows a willingness to lower his shoulder and brutalize his opponent and has a number of rushes in which he does so. On a smaller note, Hill flashes a nasty stiff arm, which is slowly becoming a lost art.

Decision

Between these two, it is less about talent and more about what a certain team values in a running back. Although Hill is the superior running back, his lack of speed and agility may push teams away. Conversely, Mason’s lack of strength may lead teams to searching for other options. Nonetheless, both have a place in the league, but neither should be a full time starter. Both are change of pace running backs that will succeed in a “running back by committee” system.