With the NFL draft set to begin Thursday, USA TODAY High School Sports will look back at the high school careers and draft prospects for former American Family Insurance ALL-USA selections. Today’s installment features Alabama running back and Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry.
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Yulee’s Derrick Henry (2) breaks the national high school career rushing yard record of 11,232 yards set by Ken Hall from 1950-53 in a 2012 game against Taylor County. (Kelly Jordan, The Florida Times-Union via Associated Press)
PLAYER PROFILE:
Position: Running back
High school: Yulee (Fla.)
ALL-USA history: Named to the American Family Insurance first team in 2012. He finished with 12,124 career rushing yards, breaking a national mark that had stood for nearly six decades. He ran for a state record 4,261 yards during a senior season that included 55 TDs.
RELATED: More on Derrick Henry’s high school career
College: Alabama
Height, weight: 6-3, 247 pounds
Alabama running back Derrick Henry during the NFL Scouting Combine (Photo: Darron Cummings, Associated Press)
By the numbers: His 2,219 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns in 2015 established single-season records in the vaunted Southeastern Conference. Despite playing only one year as the Crimson Tide’s lead back, he vaulted past former NFL MVP Shaun Alexander to become the school’s all-time leading rusher (3,591 yards).
Draft positives: Rare size-speed combination. Becomes more effective as the game goes on. Wears down a defense with his ability to run through initial contact. Has late movement in traffic that will cause defenders to miss. Has runaway speed in space. Solid blocker who can handle speed or power with ease.
Draft negatives: Long limbed. Will take a lot of hits to his lower body. Lacks the vision and ability to make quick adjustments quick twitch when running to the outside. Struggles to adjust when running laterally.
Projection: Round 2
What he says: “I like making plays and having the ball in my hands, but I wouldn’t really say (I need) a heavy workload. I just love making plays for my team.”
STATISTICS AT ALABAMA
| Year | Rush yds | Avg. | Rec yds | Avg. | Rush TD |
| 2013 | 382 | 10.9 | 61 | 61.0 | 3 |
| 2014 | 990 | 5.8 | 133 | 26.6 | 11 |
| 2015 | 2,219 | 5.6 | 91 | 8.3 | 28 |
| Career | 3,591 | 6.0 | 285 | 16.8 | 42 |
Draft analysis by Dan Shonka, Ourlads.com