When the Tennessee Titans drafted running back Derrick Henry in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft, little did they know they’d be drafting one of the more dominant players at the position of this generation.
Since posting an obscene four-game stretch at the end of 2018 that saw him total 585 yards and seven touchdowns, the Alabama product has been the best running back in football.
Henry has broken 1,000 yards in each of the past three seasons, has a pair of rushing titles and became the eighth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in 2020.
All of that doesn’t even include Henry’s 2019 postseason dominance when he carried the Titans on his back with 377 yards and two total touchdowns during upset victories over the Patriots and Ravens.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox was recently tasked with coming up with the best draft pick of the past decade for each team and no surprise Henry was his choice for the Titans:
This wasn’t the easiest decision, as left tackle Taylor Lewan has been fantastic since he was drafted in 2014. Running back Derrick Henry, however, is the identity of the Tennessee Titans and has become one of the most unstoppable forces in the NFL.
The former Alabama standout was picked in the second round in 2016, and while he was a role player early in his career, he has been a centerpiece over the past three years.
Henry has topped the 1,000-yard mark in each of the past three seasons while leading the league in rushing yards, attempts and touchdowns in each of the last two. He rushed for 2,077 yards in 2020, which helped him earn his first All-Pro nod and his second Pro Bowl selection.
Despite not becoming a starter until his third season, Henry has rushed for 5,860 yards and 55 touchdowns with an impressive five yards per carry.
With an outlandish combination of size, strength and breakaway speed, Henry might be the most important piece on the roster.
Knox rightly mentions left tackle Taylor Lewan as another possibility, but the edge still goes to Henry in that matchup because of the sheer dominance he has displayed.
Other honorable mentions we would include are wide receiver A.J. Brown, safety Kevin Byard, and defensive lineman Jurrell Casey. If he had a few more years under his belt, Brown would present the biggest challenge to Henry in this conversation.
However, as important as all of those players have been for the Titans over the years, none have made the impact Henry has.
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