TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy sees a little of one of the NFL's best rushers in Jacksonville Jaguars running back T.J. Yeldon.

"He looks like a smaller version of Le'Veon Bell to me," McCoy said, referencing the Pittsburgh Steelers running back. "He has a little power to him, but he can make you miss. You can be standing right in front of him, and you'll miss. He's still a little raw, though. He's got a lot to learn. But he's a good back."

McCoy and the rest of the Bucs defense will see how that comparison holds up Sunday, when Tampa Bay hosts Jacksonville at Raymond James Stadium. Yeldon, a rookie from Alabama taken in the second round, is coming off a strong game against Indianapolis in which he ran for a season-high 105 yards on 22 carries. He has 259 yards rushing on 70 carries this season.

Both Bell and Yeldon are 6-foot-1. Bell, however, weighs 244 pounds and Yeldon 225.

McCoy knows something about Bell, who was named to his first Pro Bowl last season. Bell ran for 63 yards on 19 carries in Tampa Bay's victory over Pittsburgh in Week 4 last year.

"I think probably the one position where a guy can come in and really be pretty much what he was in college is at the running back position," Bucs coach Lovie Smith said. "That's what we've seen from Yeldon. I mean, he can make you miss in the open field. He has run well between the tackles. He has decent size. He catches the ball. He's doing some of the same things in the NFL that he did in college. So we'll have to be on top of our gaps."