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Why Mel Kiper says Derrick Henry gets a third-round grade
By Andrew Olson
Published:
It didn’t take long for ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. to rain on Alabama RB Derrick Henry’s NFL draft parade.
Moments after Henry declared for the NFL, Kiper took to a conference call with reporters and pegged the Heisman winner as a likely third-round pick.
“Henry doesn’t have enough wiggle and change of direction to attract maybe first-round, maybe even second-round interest,” Kiper said. “He’s a build-up-speed guy, he’s not that initial-quickness-through-the-hole type of player that you need for the NFL. So I would take Henry for third round. Maybe second.”
Kiper’s colleague, Todd McShay, rates Henry as the second-best available running back in the draft, behind Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott. Depending on teams’ drafting strategy, McShay and Kiper might not be too far apart in picking the round which Henry is selected.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
