The 2015 Heisman Trophy winner is finally off the board.
With the 45th-overall pick in the NFL Draft on Friday, the Titans selected Alabama running back Derrick Henry.
It's not a complete shock Henry fell this far. Despite taking home the Heisman, Henry wasn't the top-rated running back in the draft. Most analysts had the Alabama running back ranked behind Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott, who was taken fourth overall by the Cowboys.
CBS Sports senior NFL writer Pete Prisco hates the pick, mostly because the Titans already have DeMarco Murray on the roster.
Henry: Grade; D. Why? Why? Didn’t they make a trade to land DeMarco Murray?
— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) April 30, 2016
Even with the Heisman, he comes with some question marks. For one, he's not the kind of guy who's going to thrive in a running back-by-committee situation, which could be an issue in Tennessee because of Murray.
As noted by our colleagues over at NFLDraftScout.com, Henry's at his best when he's being fed the ball constantly: "Moves like a runaway train who is tough to slow down once he gets going and his final carry in the game is as strong as his first carry, getting better as the game progresses."
Henry doesn't just move like a runaway train, either, he's also built like one. In the picture below, you can see how Henry measures up to Mark Ingram on the right. In the left picture, you can see his size compared to Eddie Lacy's.
Big Deal, Small Deal or No Deal??
— 94.9 Game 2 (@949Game2) April 19, 2016
Derrick Henry’s pure size (Mark Ingram & Eddie Lacy) pic.twitter.com/nLM2TP3tTO
The downside: Henry is not a huge receiving threat out of the backfield and his pass-blocking could use some work.
If those two things get ironed out, he can easily become an every down back for the Titans, just like he was for Alabama in 2015 when he rushed for 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns, both SEC records.
It will be interesting to see what coach Mike Mularkey does with Henry and Murray. Moving to some sort of power run game wouldn't seem to make much sense because that would limit would Marcus Mariota in the offense.
Speaking of Mariota, selecting Henry means Tennessee has picked the reigning Heisman winner two years in a row. Apparently, they're building an entire team of Heisman winners.
Anyway, Alabama running backs have been hit or miss lately. Not only has the school produced draft busts like Trent Richardson, but it's also put out somewhat successful backs like Eddie Lacy, Mark Ingram and T.J. Yeldon.
