With 45 rushing touchdowns, 3591 rush yards and a Heisman Trophy to top off his collegiate dominance at Alabama, Derrick Henry is about as accomplished as a college football running back as you can be. When you think of translation and think of his near 6’3″ height, you begin to think of some of the taller backs over the last 20 years to grace the gridiron like 6’3″ Eddie George and 6’4″ Brandon Jacobs, respectively.
Now let’s take a look at his combine side-by-side to a comparable, and re-visit the conversation of who he matches up best with:
| Derrick Henry | ||
|---|---|---|
| Height | 6-foot-2 5/8 | 6-foot-2 5/8 |
| Weight | 247 | 246 |
| 40-yard dash | 4.54 | 4.53 |
| Bench press (225 lbs.) | 22 | 21 |
| Vertical jump | 37 inches | 37 inches |
| Broad jump | 130 inches | 126 inches |
| 3-cone drill | 7.20 seconds | 6.70 seconds |
| 20-yard shuttle | 4.38 seconds | 4.06 seconds |
| 60-yard shuttle | 11.50 | 11.15 seconds |
Who is this other player? It’s almost exactly the same, right? If you’re thinking anyone on offense, you’ve missed the mark, because it’s Superbowl 50 MVP, Von Miller. So what does this mean for Henry?
Ideally, Henry is a prototypically perfectly built to be a 3-4 edge rusher and possesses the tools to be one of the all-time greats. Depending on what team and system drafts him, we’ll probably never get to see Henry perform in this capacity. However, if a team like the New England Patriots get their hands on him, boy would the possibilities open up. I’m thinking Adalius Thomas, edge rusher, curl-to-flat zone defender, corner (I only saw him line up there once, but boy did that get the wheels turning!), basically, you’re all in one defensive threat, with red-zone offense and 4th and 1 capabilities.
What we have on the table is so much potential, and I just don’t want to see a forced Brandon Jacobs between the tackles type runner, when you have someone with the versatility that Derrick Henry possesses.
Path to the Draft 