Tennessee Titans superstar Derrick Henry believes there should be two running backs going in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Those running backs are Alabama’s Najee Harris and Clemson’s Travis Etienne, both of whom received praise from Henry recently, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.
“(Najee) definitely deserves to be a first-round pick, and hopefully he gets the opportunity,” Henry said. “The things he did this year, it was just unbelievable. He’s great at running the ball, great at catching the ball. He is the full package. It’s what you want from a guy coming in and being a day one starter at the running back position.”
Here’s what the two-time rushing champion had to say about Etienne, as well as the attempt to devalue players at the position in recent years:
“I think Travis Etienne is definitely well deserving of going in the first round,” Henry said. “I know that they try to devalue us backs and say that running backs, you can get a running back in the second round. But Najee and Etienne deserve to go in the first round – they have earned it. You have seen it week in and week out, what they did this year, the type of players they are, it shows on film.”
Harris finished the 2020 season with 1,466 rushing yards, 425 receiving yards and 30 total touchdowns (26 rushing), while Etienne totaled 914 rushing yards, 588 receiving yards and 16 total scores (14 rushing).
Henry himself was a second-round pick of the Titans in the 2016 NFL draft, but there’s a good chance some teams who passed on him would like a do-over after the incredible amount of success he’s had in recent years.
