Tennessee Titans: What Can We Expect From Derrick Henry?
By Nick Ziegler
The Tennessee Titans surprised many when they selected Derrick Henry in the second round of the NFL, but he is in a position to succeed as a rookie.
After a few poor seasons of football, the Tennessee Titans look like they are beginning to head in the right direction. They have drafted their quarterback of the future in Marcus Mariota and have given him what looks like will be a dynamic duo at the running back position.
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Last season, DeMarco Murray had a disappointing season with the Philadelphia Eagles after a career-year. Murray and head coach Chip Kelly never seemed to get on the same page, and that helped cause a poor season of football in the City of Brotherly Love.
This offseason, Murray was traded to the Titans for essentially nothing, but his coaches are already very fond of him. “He’s a coach’s dream,’’said running backs coach Sylvester Croom to Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com.
Adding Murray could be a great move for the Titans if they are able to get him close to the form we saw him in 2014 with the Dallas Cowboys. That season, Murray had one of the best seasons in the history of the NFL at the running back position, and that kind of production would be welcomed in Tennessee.
Even with Murray, the Titans decided that Alabama running back Derrick Henry was too good of a player to let pass, and they used their second-round pick to take him.
“From my contacts at the university, his leadership qualities and intangibles were reported to be very high,’’ Croom said of Henry to Wyatt, “and so far they have been.
“But until you go through that rookie year, everything is new to you, from game one to the last game. Everything is new to Derrick and all the rookies, from how to train to how to prepare going into the season. And until you get through the first year, you just don’t know.
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Some rookies go into different situations in the NFL that can either make or break their careers. Henry will be walking into a fairly good one in Tennessee with a young quarterback in Mariota, and talented veteran in Murray, and a much-improved offense line.
“From a physical standpoint, his football talent is obvious,’’ Croom continued to Wyatt. “Now, the mental toughness, the mental discipline, how to truly be a professional football player — that is the key and it will determine how much success he is going to have and how much he’ll be able to help our football team. The talent is there, but until a rookie goes through the first season, he really doesn’t know what it takes to be a pro at this level.”
Henry was the Heisman trophy winner in 2015 and totaled 2,219 rushing yards and 28 rushing touchdowns. He doesn’t appear to show any indications that he won’t be able to be a very good running back one day, and his coaches expect that of him.
“He’s going to be a good football player,’’ Croom said of Henry to Wyatt. “He’s just going to have to learn, but everybody does. When I was a rookie coach, a first-year coach, I had to learn. You have to learn what working in the NFL is like because it is totally different than college.”
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He might not dominate starting in Week 1, but expect to see Henry progress as a player throughout 2016 for the Titans.