Windy City Gridiron
The RB class is elite this year. Here are Bryan’s takes on the top ten, who he would compare their running styles to, and if he thinks they’re a fit for Chicago.
TreVeyon Henderson has been a mostly fun study. As a childhood fan of the Michigan Wolverines, I’ve paid close attention to the UM vs. OSU rivalry. As a true freshman at Ohio State, TreVeyon Henderson led the Buckeyes with 1,248 yards on 183 carries (6.8 yard average - tops in B1G Ten) with 19 TDs (4 receiving) with an additional 312 yards receiving on 27 receptions. This included 128 total yards and 2 scores against the Wolverines in what figured to be a sign of the one-sided rivalry continuing to lean heavily in favor of Columbus. But Michigan won that game (and the next three against their rivals) ,preventing Henderson from ever tasting victory against “The Victors” up north. While a broken foot slowed his sophomore season down some, Henderson picked back up as a junior and senior en route to the Buckeyes’ most recent National Championship. Thus, getting the last laugh against his collegiate rivals.
Most impressive, to me, was how successful he was sharing the backfield this past season with Quinshon Judkins as both backs tallied over 1k yards and 10 TDs with both backs seemingly taking turns showing up in the biggest moments for their squad and not once showing any frustration sharing the spotlight.
Known for his explosiveness and keen ability to know when and where to burst, Henderson has excelled at big plays in both the run and passing game where he routinely took a short pass to the house or burst through a hole for a long score, having rushed AND caught for at least one 60+ yard score in each season where he did not have a broken foot. But what makes the former Buckeye so special, in my opinion, is his tenacity and consistency as a pass blocker. Check out some clips of him doing the “dirty” work as a running back. And though he did knock out an impressive 24 reps of 225lb at his pro day recently, “Hendo” is only 202 pounds yet he’s still wrecking defenders who outweigh him by close to 50lbs.
The other not-so-flashy part of playing running back that Henderson excels at, and is incredibly important, is ball security. When I say excel, I mean he has not even recorded a fumble since his freshman season. Here he is compared to some of the other top backs on this draft class.
While Henderson is more of a speed back with the ball in his hands, it’s his all-around game that stuck out most to me, and that will appeal to decision makers next week in Green Bay for the draft, where I fully expect Henderson to be selected between picks 20-40. That said, don’t get it twisted. Hendo can break tackles with the best of them and he’ll...
