Bama in the NFL: Derrick Henry Still a Man Among Boys, Even With Tennessee Titans
In one of the more fun moments of training camp this year, Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel fielded a question about his star player that not only completely caught him by surprise, but required him to take a few moments to both come up with an answer and the reasoning behind his thinking.
The question was how many 5-year-olds would take to tackle running back Derrick Henry, the last running back to win the Heisman Trophy when he was with the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2015.
Given henry being given a 10-yard cushion at the start, Vrabel correctly concluded that it would take a “A s--- ton.” The former linebacker then gave a guess of "It’d probably take 35.”
The 29-year-old Henry, who is on target to be a free agent next year, is 6-3, 247 pounds and a workout freak. He’s a nightmare matchup for most defensive players in the NFL, let alone kindergarteners, even if they're all in giant protective bubbles.
Henry broke a career-high 35 tackles in 2022 while rushing for 1,538 yards and 13 touchdowns, while being edged by Josh Jacobs for the league rushing title. He's topped 1,000 yards four of the last five seasons, and was the league rushing king in both 2019 and 2020.
He was named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2020, but his yards per carry average dropped from 5.4 that season to 4.4 after the Titans went in a different direction with receivers Julio Jones and A.J. Brown. They've added DeAndre Hopkins this season, so it'll be interesting to see how much he might help Henry's average.
But the real question regarding Henry's success in the NFL goes all the way back to the 2016 NFL Draft: How on earth was he still available for the Titans to select with the 45th-overall pick?
Bama in the NFL: Tennessee Titans
The Franchise
American Football Conference
South Division
Team Colors: Navy, Titans Blue, Red, Silver
Founded: 1959, and began play in 1960 as the Houston Oilers. After moving it was known as the Tennessee Oilers from 1997-98, and then became the Tennessee Titans.
Stadium: Nissan Stadium (capacity 69,143)
Playing Surface: Matrix Helix Turf
Training Camp: Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park, Nashville
All-Time Alabama Players
Crimson Tide Drafted Players
| Year | Player | Pos. | Round | Pick | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1960 (A) | Gary O'Steen | B | 1 | — | — |
1960 (A) | Don Cochran | T | 2 | — | — |
1962 (A) | Bill Rice | E | 5 | 7 | 39 |
1964 (A) | Benny Nelson | DB | 12 | 6 | 94 |
1965 (A) | Ray Ogden | E | 8 | 2 | 58 |
1987 | Wes Neighbors | C | 9 | 8 | 231 |
1994 | Lemanski Hall | LB | 7 | 26 | 220 |
1994 | Jeremy Nunley | DE | 2 | 31 | 60 |
1996 | Kendrick Burton | DE | 4 | 12 | 107 |
2004 | Antwan Odom | DE | 2 | 25 | 57 |
2013 | Chance Warmack | G | 1 | 10 | 10 |
2015 | Jalston Fowler | RB | 4 | 9 | 108 |
2016 | Derrick Henry | RB | 2 | 14 | 45 |
2018 | Rashaan Evans | LB | 1 | 22 | 22 |
Kim Klement / USA Today Sports
Super Bowl Appearances
Major Awards/Honors
In conjunction with our revamped Bama in the NFL Database, this is the 31st story in a series examining the team-by-team history of Alabama's former players in the NFL.
AFC
- Baltimore Ravens
- Buffalo Bills
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Cleveland Browns
- Denver Broncos
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Miami Dolphins
- New England Patriots
- New York Jets
- Pittsburgh Steelers
NFC
- Arizona Cardinals
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
- Chicago Bears
- Dallas Cowboys
- Detroit Lions
- Green Bay Packers
- Los Angeles Rams
- Minnesota Vikings
- New Orleans Saints
- New York Giants
- Philadelphia Eagles
- San Francisco 49ers
- Seattle Seahawks
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
See Also:
Bama in the NFL: The Ultimate Crimson Tide Database
Bama in the NFL: Active Alabama Crimson Tide Players by Team
