NFL draft profile: Alabama RB Derrick Henry, massive power runner

Shutdown Corner is counting down the top 50 prospects in the 2016 NFL draft with a scouting report, quotes from NFL evaluators and a projection where they might be drafted.

25. Alabama RB Derrick Henry
6-foot-3, 247 pounds

Key stat: Henry’s 395 carries in 2015 were the fifth-most in college football season since 1956. He joined Bo Jackson and Herschel Walker as the only SEC backs to post four 200-yard rushing games in a season.

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The skinny: Downhill, massive runner with rare dimensions and good straight-line speed. Henry runs decisively and effectively and consistently did incredible work against some of the country’s most talented defenses. After being a complementary power option in two loaded Crimson Tide backfields in 2013 and 2014, Henry earned the job full time — overtime, some might say — in 2015 with a season for the ages: 2,219 rushing yards, 28 TDs, a Heisman Trophy, and an incredible two-game, 90-carry playoff run to spur Bama to a national championship.

Not everyone forecasts NFL glory for Henry, though, who is not built like many backs in the league and isn’t very elusive or used much as a receiver. But he showed incredible athletic gifts in his NFL combine workout (130-inch broad jump, 37-inch vertical jump at nearly 250 pounds) and appeared to be natural catching the football at the school’s pro day.

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Best-suited destination: Teams with a dominant, punishing offensive line such as the Dallas Cowboys or Oakland Raiders would be perfect for Henry, who consistently was given some massive holes to run through at Bama with one of the most talented offensive lines in the nation the past three seasons. Run-heavy teams such as the Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings or New York Jets clearly make sense. And Henry also could fit on a pass-dependent team looking for a power complement — the New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Detroit Lions and New England Patriots come to mind — to grind down defenses after gaining a lead. He doesn’t fit every offense, but Henry does have wider NFL appeal than many realize.

Reason he’ll rise in draft: There just isn’t another back like him in this class, or most classes for that matter. Assuming Ezekiel Elliott goes high, a real possibility for the top 10, then teams will start thinking about Henry toward the back end of Round 1. He might not go that high, but the conversations will start there. With Henry’s combination of high-level production, intrigue, athleticism, there will be a team that can’t pass him up, even if he doesn’t fit neatly into a box. And let’s face it, Alabama players tend to get “overdrafted” by and large.

Reason he’ll fall in draft: He’s a running back, which still means his value to many NFL teams has a limit. The number of Day 3 picks and undrafted free agents who not only make teams but also flourish in the league might be higher at this position than any other. Plus, with the workload factor, teams are reticent to spend high picks who might only have four-, five- or six-year careers before they tail off precipitously. There just have not been that many backs who weigh 240 or more pounds who have had consistently productive NFL careers the past decade or more.

Scouting hot take: “We spent more time [debating] him than almost anyone in our meeting the other day. Everyone seems to have a different take on him. The coaches love him as a four-minute back. The scouts see the drawbacks; they think he’ll be in the tub a lot. Personally, I like to ask what a guy can do, not what he can’t. Show me what he can do well and we’ll find a place for him.” — NFC scouting director

Player comp: A Brandon Jacobs-LeGarrette Blount mashup

Expected draft range: Second round

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50. Ohio State WR Braxton Miller
49. Indiana OT Jason Spriggs
48. Florida DL Jonathan Bullard
47. Texas Tech OT Le’Raven Clark
46. Arkansas TE Hunter Henry
45. Oklahoma WR Sterling Shepard
44. Michigan State QB Connor Cook
43. West Virginia S Karl Joseph
42. Michigan State DE-OLB Shilique Calhoun
41. Notre Dame WR Will Fuller
40. Pitt WR Tyler Boyd
39. Oklahoma State DE Emmanuel Ogbah
38. Alabama DE-DT A’Shawn Robinson
37. Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott
36. Memphis QB Paxton Lynch
35. Alabama C Ryan Kelly
34. Louisiana Tech DT Vernon Butler
33. Ole Miss DT Robert Nkemdiche
32. Georgia DE-OLB Leonard Floyd
31. USC S-LB Su’a Cravens
30. Alabama LB Reggie Ragland
29. Mississippi State DT-DE Chris Jones
28. Baylor NT Andrew Billings
27. Notre Dame LB Jaylon Smith