Darrell Henderson

[TheNuts]

Agreed that when we are talking about a between the tackles runner, a lighter back is going to have more risk. I don't see why anyone would question his weight with how compact his frame is and how the team plans to use him. Running backs that are his size get drafted all the time and don't get their weight brought up.

I also bet Mcvay learned his lesson from giving Gurkey so many touches. All that happens after giving that many touches to a rb (besides the rare few of AP and Gore) is a quickened wearing of the body. Sean Peyton has Kamara dialed in perfectly.

[Phaded]

The reason that he looks "stiff" is more due to his one-cut upright style.

[FantasyFreak]

This focus on BMI is a bit odd. Weight still matters. As an extreme example, someone who is 5'0" and 160 pounds has a BMI of 31.2, but they're going to tend to get knocked around a lot more than someone who is 6'0" 220, even though the 6'0" player has a lower BMI. If the 5'0" player gets hit by a 320 pound lineman, that BMI isn't going to matter as much as the fact that they weigh half as much as that lineman.

You know how hard it would be to wrap up a bowling ball dude?

So then the ideal RB is about 8 and a half inches tall, and 14 pounds.

[ericanadian]

This focus on BMI is a bit odd. Weight still matters. As an extreme example, someone who is 5'0" and 160 pounds has a BMI of 31.2, but they're going to tend to get knocked around a lot more than someone who is 6'0" 220, even though the 6'0" player has a lower BMI. If the 5'0" player gets hit by a 320 pound lineman, that BMI isn't going to matter as much as the fact that they weigh half as much as that lineman.

You know how hard it would be to wrap up a bowling ball dude?

So then the ideal RB is about 8 and a half inches tall, and 14 pounds.

If he could run a 4.3, I would take that guy all day.

[Gtdano_14]

I had Henderson as my RB2 in the pre-draft process and I still do. The situatuon did not buoy his ranking for me.

When I saw his ADP - all I could think to myself was "steal". I even snagged him in the DLF Early Bird (which drafts pre-NFL).

He has question marks of course - but this RB class is all guys with significant question marks.

I love the explosiveness and skillset he brings to the table. I am not concerned about his size.

This is the most rational Henderson post I've seen in awhile.

I completely agree, except for having him as the RB2. I think he is a wonderful prospect with serious upside potential. He is mr upside with game breaking potential.

However he is just that. Upside in a bottle. You dont draft those guys in the 1st. Anyone wants to roll the dice in the 2nd I love it.

You act like there are guaranteed studs littered in the first round

Yeah, you name a couple guarantees and I’ll draft them. Until then, I’d rather gamble on Hendy in the mid 1st over a questionable WR.
If a RB and WR struggle similarly throughout their rookie years, the WR will see the larger drop in value. I’d rather have one of the other 3 RBs, but even in a draft where the WRs are seen as the better position, those other 3 RBs will be gone in the top 4 picks in my league.

[FantasyFreak]

This is the most rational Henderson post I've seen in awhile.

I completely agree, except for having him as the RB2. I think he is a wonderful prospect with serious upside potential. He is mr upside with game breaking potential.

However he is just that. Upside in a bottle. You dont draft those guys in the 1st. Anyone wants to roll the dice in the 2nd I love it.

You act like there are guaranteed studs littered in the first round

Yeah, you name a couple guarantees and I’ll draft them. Until then, I’d rather gamble on Hendy in the mid 1st over a questionable WR.
If a RB and WR struggle similarly throughout their rookie years, the WR will see the larger drop in value. I’d rather have one of the other 3 RBs, but even in a draft where the WRs are seen as the better position, those other 3 RBs will be gone in the top 4 picks in my league.

That's not really true. Corey Davis and Rashaad Penny would say otherwise. Both were first round picks in the NFL. Davis struggled his rookie year, didn't score a single TD. His value basically held. He was still worth an early rookie pick the next year for most. Try getting the 1.02 or 1.03 for Penny after last year. Just one example, but my point is that really isn't always the case.

[MEuRaH]

To clarify, I think DH is going to be awesome with the Rams... for the 10-12 scripted touches they give him (max). And that's solely because of coaching. He'll have a high ceiling and low floor on a weekly basis.

I don't think he'll ever beat out Gurley for the job, and if Gurley does somehow get hurt, I don't think DH can do everything that Gurley can do. DH is best used in a RBBC approach, where he gets 33% of the touches, max.

That's my guess. DH is my "do not draft" guy in 2019. Last year it was RJ3 & Penny, and in 2017 my "do not draft" guy was Dalvin Cook, despite the fact that he was everyones top 2-3 player.

I'll gladly put my reputation on the line for this one.

[TheNuts]

To clarify, I think DH is going to be awesome with the Rams... for the 10-12 scripted touches they give him (max). And that's solely because of coaching. He'll have a high ceiling and low floor on a weekly basis.

I don't think he'll ever beat out Gurley for the job, and if Gurley does somehow get hurt, I don't think DH can do everything that Gurley can do. DH is best used in a RBBC approach, where he gets 33% of the touches, max.

That's my guess. DH is my "do not draft" guy in 2019. Last year it was RJ3 & Penny, and in 2017 my "do not draft" guy was Dalvin Cook, despite the fact that he was everyones top 2-3 player.

I'll gladly put my reputation on the line for this one.

I had Cook, Penny, and Jones on my DND. Henderson is firmly on my draft with prejudice.

[FantasyFreak]

To clarify, I think DH is going to be awesome with the Rams... for the 10-12 scripted touches they give him (max). And that's solely because of coaching. He'll have a high ceiling and low floor on a weekly basis.

I don't think he'll ever beat out Gurley for the job, and if Gurley does somehow get hurt, I don't think DH can do everything that Gurley can do. DH is best used in a RBBC approach, where he gets 33% of the touches, max.

That's my guess. DH is my "do not draft" guy in 2019. Last year it was RJ3 & Penny, and in 2017 my "do not draft" guy was Dalvin Cook, despite the fact that he was everyones top 2-3 player.

I'll gladly put my reputation on the line for this one.

Cook's only real drawback has been injuries, which nobody I know of was saying was a concern. He came into the league and was on pace for a great rookie season until he made a cut and blew his ACL. The back half of last year he was an RB1. When he's been on the field, he's produced, so I'm not sure it was a "win" to say you said to stay away from Cook. If he showed to be bad at football sure, but that's not really the case at this point. Unless people are saying stay away from a guy because he's going to get hurt, I don't think it's appropriate to use a players injuries after the fact to say you were right about a player.

The jury is still out on Penny, he looked good the back half of the year. Rojo you look to be right about, but he could turn it around. I was down on Rojo, too.

[MEuRaH]

To clarify, I think DH is going to be awesome with the Rams... for the 10-12 scripted touches they give him (max). And that's solely because of coaching. He'll have a high ceiling and low floor on a weekly basis.

I don't think he'll ever beat out Gurley for the job, and if Gurley does somehow get hurt, I don't think DH can do everything that Gurley can do. DH is best used in a RBBC approach, where he gets 33% of the touches, max.

That's my guess. DH is my "do not draft" guy in 2019. Last year it was RJ3 & Penny, and in 2017 my "do not draft" guy was Dalvin Cook, despite the fact that he was everyones top 2-3 player.

I'll gladly put my reputation on the line for this one.

Cook's only real drawback has been injuries, which nobody I know of was saying was a concern. He came into the league and was on pace for a great rookie season until he made a cut and blew his ACL. The back half of last year he was an RB1. When he's been on the field, he's produced, so I'm not sure it was a "win" to say you said to stay away from Cook. If he showed to be bad at football sure, but that's not really the case at this point. Unless people are saying stay away from a guy because he's going to get hurt, I don't think it's appropriate to use a players injuries after the fact to say you were right about a player.

The jury is still out on Penny, he looked good the back half of the year. Rojo you look to be right about, but he could turn it around. I was down on Rojo, too.

That's part of my issue with Cook. He doesn't work hard, and that includes conditioning. I'm not saying I predicted the injuries, but a RB that doesn't condition well stands to be more injured than one that does.

Penny is a zone back in a power system. I don't know what the Seahawks were thinking when they drafted the guy. I still don't like his talent all that much, but putting him in Seattle definitely doesn't help.

[Blueboy]

Funnily enough, I thought Henderson looked much more similar to Dalvin Cook than Kamara, his usual comp, after finishing my tape watch of him.

His explosiveness and ability to work in limited space are certainly impressive, and I'm sure McVay will turn him into a dangerous weapon. He's very good at running outside zone, which the Rams love -- if he gets 5-7 designed touches a week, which could be a reasonable number, he'll have a lot of weekly fantasy upside. That said, I will not own him anywhere at his current price. Have him ranked as my 12th player in SF which is all I play.

I cannot think of a friendlier college system for him to have played in than Memphis, where Henderson was allowed to play only to his strengths in a system that compensated heavily for his weaknesses -- mostly against lesser opponents. Those highlight plays look incredible, but watching the surrounding game it continuously jumped out to me that the opposing defensive players weren't very good. So much of his college game was sprinting past much less athletic defenders. Can't stand how often he phones it in re: pass protection, and he doesn't seem like a very coachable prospect based on the limited information we have (interviews, bad habits visible on tape). Maybe I'm just being overly cautious, and he'll blow all of these red flags away in the NFL on his way to usurping Gurley. ... maybe I should be buying him either way just to flip after he blows up on a few preseason runs.

For the record, I am concerned enough about Gurley's knee that I sold him right after he won me a championship -- I quite like Henderson's chances of getting ~7 touches per game this season and his situation under McVay is probably the best place he could've landed outside of KC. But I'll never pay up to buy a guy based purely on situation, at least not if I don't see him as a guy who'd succeed removed from that situation.

[Krypto_King]

a 3rd round pick won't beat out a top 4 RB in the league. calm down, wild man.

People, is Mike Weber also in a great situation? Is Wayne Gallman? Jordan Scarlett? Chase Edmonds?
I had Henderson as my RB1 but, call me crazy, I don't think backing up a great, do-it-all RB is a good situation.

[TheNuts]

a 3rd round pick won't beat out a top 4 RB in the league. calm down, wild man.

People, is Mike Weber also in a great situation? Is Wayne Gallman? Jordan Scarlett? Chase Edmonds?
I had Henderson as my RB1 but, call me crazy, I don't think backing up a great, do-it-all RB is a good situation.

I think you're looking at it from the wrong angle. He isn't just a backup. He is going to be integrated into the offense with a purpose. That's why they drafted him.

[FantasyFreak]

Heard a podcast where a league member of the host actually took Hendo at 1.01.

[Dynasty DeLorean]

Heard a podcast where a league member of the host actually took Hendo at 1.01.

Is Hendo officially what we're going with? Not Hendy?