Derrick Henry drafted by Titans at No. 45
The Heisman winner from Alabama has incomparable size for a running back.
The 2015 Heisman Trophy winner is the newest running back for the Tennessee Titans, after they selected Alabama's Derrick Henry in the second round with the No. 45 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
At 6’3, 247 pounds, Henry gives the Titans a uniquely gigantic running back who isn’t built like a typical bruising back. Unlike most larger backs, Henry is high cut with thinner legs than you’d expect of a player who is now one of the heaviest running backs in the NFL.
In fact, his closest NFL comparison in terms of size and athleticism is reigning Super Bowl MVP Von Miller, who posted remarkably similar numbers at the 2011 NFL Combine.
That uncommon build made Henry tremendously successful at Alabama, where he racked up 2,219 yards and 28 rushing touchdowns en route to the Heisman. However, Henry rarely bulldozed through defenders, despite his significant size advantage. Instead, he used angles well to get a head of steam and cruise through arm tackles with ease.
When actually confronted with players able to lower their shoulder pads into Henry, he seldom even attempted to keep his feet and instead resigned himself to falling forward. Still, that made him a reliable player who would get at least a few yards if things didn’t open up, and it kept him healthy for the Crimson Tide.
By intelligently avoiding unnecessary punishment, Henry was able to handle 395 rushing attempts during a national championship run in 2015. Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey took the second-most in the nation with 337 attempts.
The Titans will hope that the same type of longevity and health follows Henry to the NFL, as the team will likely expect him to take a decent amount of carries along with newly acquired DeMarco Murray. That’s nothing new for Henry, who is the national record holder for high school rushing yards having tallied 12,124 in four years at Yulee High School in Florida.
With so much mileage at a position where players rarely produce after age 30, the fact that Henry has been able to protect himself from injury and avoid battling for extra yardage is important. It also helps that he’s been able to literally throw players off of him thanks to tremendous upper-body strength.
One of the challenges for Henry will be proving that his success didn't come because of the dominance of the Alabama offensive line. Trent Richardson, Eddie Lacy and Mark Ingram all hit the NFL with plenty of hype after finding success with the Crimson Tide, but have had varying results as professionals. Richardson's career quickly spiraled to nothing, and Lacy's hot start in the NFL recently fizzled. Ingram eventually developed into a solid starter, but it's tough to say he was worth the first-round pick used on him by the New Orleans Saints in 2011.
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