3. Derrick Henry: It’s almost over! It’s the stretch run as I like to say. I think the running back position is in great shape for the next few seasons. Nick Chubb, Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, Alvin Kamara, and Saquon Barkley have all been handling their business at the position and will do so for years. Don’t get me wrong, these guys are good and mean a lot to their teams. However, there’s only one king. That man in Nashville is who I am referring to. He just made his debut last season on this project and he’s back again Derrick Henry claims the third spot on my list and as expected, he’s the top-ranked running back entering the 2021 season.
You look at running backs today and over the last few years, some are smaller and some are stockier than you’d expect. Then, there’s this guy and he’s an enormous man. At 6’3 and 247 pounds, Derrick is the size of a defensive player on the offensive side. Or, as I like to say, he’s a defensive end with track star speed I’ve been thinking of who to compare him to. He’s the combination of Earl Campbell mixed with Brandon Jacobs. Just faster. Derrick powers himself downhill at all times. Though he comes off as a power back, he can “play small” which means he can easily slide through the tackles to get hard-fought yards. His vision and shiftiness are incredible for a man his size. Derrick won’t always depend on running through people. He has the footwork to cut on the dime and fake out a defender. Throughout last season when I was on the radio, I would advise defenses playing the Titans not to tackle this guy high! If you did, you would become a victim of a stiff arm. Ask Josh Norman how that went for him. Ask anyone else who received a stiff arm from him how they’re feeling.
Last Summer, the Tennessee Titans signed Derrick to a contract extension. I didn’t think they would because running backs don’t last too long. Once the season started, he picked up where he left off from his 2019 season and didn’t look back. Week 17 against the Houston Texans, he needed 223 yards to join the 2,000-yard rushing club. Derrick ran for 250 and became just the eighth member of the 2,000-yard rushing club. He was the first to do so since Adrian Peterson in 2012. For his stellar season, he was named the Offensive Player of the Year.
