Bama in the NFL: Derrick Henry Still a Man Among Boys, Even With Tennessee Titans

Even if the running back's tenure with the former Houston Oilers comes to a close, he's legacy his way beyond anyone else's from the Crimson Tide.

Christopher Walsh | Aug 25, 2023

Bama in the NFL: Derrick Henry Still a Man Among Boys, Even With Tennessee Titans /

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Alabama Crimson Tide

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

Includes Houston Oilers

Kendrick Burton, DE, 1996
Ed Culpepper, DT, 1962 - 1963
Rashaan Evans, LB, 2018 - 2021
Jalston Fowler, RB, 2015 - 2017
Lemanski Hall, LB, 1995 - 1997
Da'Shawn Hand, DE, 2021 - 2022
Derrick Henry, RB, 2016 - 2022
Rashad Johnson, DB, 2016
Julio Jones, WR, 2021
Jason McAddley, WR, 2004
Keith McCants, DE, 1993 - 1994
Ricky Moore, RB, 1987
Benny Nelson, DB, 1964
Jeremy Nunley, DE, 1994
Antwan Odom, DE, 2004 - 2007
Marico Portis, OG, 2004
Charlie Rieves, LB, 1964 - 1965
Ken Stabler, QB, 1980 - 1981
Chance Warmack, OG, 2013 - 2016

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

Tennessee Titans offensive guard Chance Warmack (70) blocks against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half at EverBank Field in 2013. — Kim Klement / USA Today Sports

Super Bowl Appearances

None. The Titians have played in only one Super Bowl, XXXIV, losing 23-16 to the Rams.

Major Awards/Honors

All-Pro

Derrick Henry (1): 2020

Pro Bowl

Derrick Henry (3): 2019, 2020, 2022

Other Derrick Henry Honors

NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2020)
NFL rushing yards leader (2019, 2020)
NFL rushing touchdowns leader (2019, 2020)
NFL record, longest rushing touchdown (tied with Tony Dorsett, 99 yards)
Most career games with 200+ rushing yards: Six (tied with Adrian Peterson and O.J. Simpson)

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

NFC

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.