Jim Brown. Gale Sayers. Walter Payton. Barry Sanders. Earl Campbell. LaDainian Tomlinson.

Those are the names of just some of the best running backs in NFL history. They’re also all players who Derrick Henry enjoyed watching while he was growing up, and they were players who helped shape him into the playmaker he is today.

“When I was a kid, I didn’t really have much to do so I always watched NFL Network when they had those old NFL films come up, the 1980s great backs,” Henry recently said, according to Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press. “I would always watch clips when they showed games or they played or showed highlights of the old-school dudes leading up to now. I was in awe anytime I could watch any of those guys I named.”

Perhaps that helps explain how Henry has emerged as one of the top running backs in the NFL. After a standout career at Alabama — during which he won the Heisman Trophy in 2015 — he’s gone on to be a standout player for the Tennessee Titans, who selected him in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Last season, Henry led the NFL in carries (303), rushing yards (1,540) and rushing touchdowns (16). In 2020, he’s picked up right where he left off, as he leads the league in carries (143) and rushing yards (663) to go along with seven touchdowns in six games.

It took a bit for Henry to get going in the NFL, as he didn’t make too big of an impact early in his career. But now, he’s putting up impressive numbers on a weekly basis.

Henry will look to keep his strong 2020 going as the Titans take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.