Former Alabama Heisman Trophy winner, [autotag]Derrick Henry[/autotag], has quickly compiled one of the most impressive running back resumes in the NFL, potentially of all time. The 6-foot-3, 247-pound Henry was one of the biggest steals in NFL draft history as the Tennessee Titans were able to select him in the second round with the No. 45 overall selection of the 2016 Draft.
Since being drafted, Henry has gone on to earn accolades such as NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2020, a first-team All-Pro selection, a two-time NFL rushing yards and touchdown leader, and in 2020 became only the eighth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. What makes this so remarkable is that he has never had a superstar QB, and has faced teams loading the box to shut him down for the entirety of his career.
Henry is dangerous no matter the situation. There isn’t a player in the game who is better to have in short-distance situations when you just need a yard, but he is also tied for the longest rushing touchdown in NFL history as he ripped off a 99-yard score vs the Jaguars in 2018.
There have been so many great running backs over the course of the NFL from guys like Walter Peyton to Barry Sanders to Adrian Peterson. Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill hosted Atlanta Falcons rookie RB Bijan Robinson onto his podcast where they both discussed their top five RBs of all time.
Hill has Peterson ranked as his top back of all time, but he holds Derrick Henry in incredibly high regard as he ranked him as the second-best ever. Hill justified his pick by saying, “Have you ever seen Derrick Henry before? It’s like 11 dudes in the box, it’s like punt protection whenever they try to stop him.”
That’s the thing that makes Henry so unique is that you can’t hope to stop him, you can only do your best to contain him. The longer the game goes on, the more Henry wears defenses down.
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