re: ESPN Sports Science on Derrick Henry

quote:

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Different drill. Watch the video

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I did. His straight line speed can't be denied. When he squares his shoulders and goes he's as explosive a RB as there is. I expected him to run around 4.4 40.

That doesn't mean he hits the hole faster than other RBs, which is what the previous poster said. In fact, in the video it talks about Elliots ability to hit the hole being on par with Adrian Peterson's because of his quickness in and out of cuts.

Backs in the NFL are rarely able to hit holes without making a cut, and that's Henry's biggest weakness. I will admit that I was wrong about him before. I said he wasn't going to be very good in the NFL, but I think I was wrong. While doesn't have the elite lateral quickness that most of the top backs have, but he has a unique combination of acceleration and power when his shoulders are square and he can go downhill.


ETA: What doesn't make sense to me is they say he had the fastest time over 5 yards in their lab, but at the end of the video when they superimpose Henry, Elliot and Bell all running the 40 Elliot and Bell are both quicker over the first 5 yards, and it really wasn't close.