Darrell Henderson

Cam Akers' Achilles injury prior to training camp opened the door for Henderson to assume the lead role in the Rams' backfield last season, and the Memphis product was effective early on. A rib injury sidelined him in Week 3 — which made the Rams acquisition of Sony Michel right before Week 1 look prudent — but Henderson still topped 80 scrimmage yards in each of his first five games of 2021 while scoring five total touchdowns. As the campaign wore on, however, his numbers sagged for various reasons, from the coaching staff's growing comfort level with Michel to Henderson's inability to stay healthy to Akers' amazing return from what was thought to have been a season-ending injury. The end result was career-high numbers for Henderson, but not necessarily a true breakout in fantasy terms. While Michel is now in Miami, Akers is fully recovered and fifth-round pick Kyren Williams could challenge for snaps on passing downs. Henderson's window to prove he could handle a workhorse role may have already closed.

After being nearly invisible as a rookie while he struggled to adjust to the pros, Henderson rebounded in 2020 to display the talent that made him a third-round pick in 2019. With Todd Gurley gone, the speedster out of Memphis quickly established himself as a key part of the Rams backfield, racking up 514 scrimmage yards with 4.8 yards per carry and four total touchdowns between Weeks 2-7. A Week 8 quad injury then slowed him, and Henderson's workload was capped even after he got healthy as Cam Akers ascended to the top spot on the depth chart. Henderson's campaign then ended early with a Week 16 ankle injury, his third significant lower-body injury through two pro seasons. When he's 100 percent, Henderson offers game-breaking speed in the open field while also showing enough balance and agility in traffic to handle carries between the tackles. It looks like he'll have every chance to show off those skills this season, as the Rams were left thin in the backfield after presumed lead runner Cam Akers suffered an Achilles tear in July. The team did trade for Sony Michel a month later, but he's expected to slot in behind Henderson, at least early on.

Henderson generated plenty of hype after being selected in the third round of last year's draft, but injuries and a tough adjustment to the pro game left him with only 43 touches in 13 games. His college tape from Memphis shows speed and burst that make him seem capable of breaking off a big gain every time he gets the ball, and he also displayed receiving skills that hint at three-down potential. Henderson struggled to pick up the playbook in the preseason, however, and while he wasn't expected to see a large role behind a healthy Todd Gurley, he didn't even see double-digit snaps until Week 6 and barely saw the field at all after Week 8. Gurley's now in Atlanta, though, replaced by 2020 second-round pick Cam Akers. The Rams figure to have a competition for backfield roles, with veteran and longtime Gurley backup Malcolm Brown also in the mix. Brown and Henderson have the benefit of scheme familiarity, while Akers has the advantages of draft capital, prototypical size (5-10, 217) and experience handling a three-down role at FSU. That's not to say Henderson is out of the running for the lead role, but he's more likely to end up second or third in a committee.

The most electric big-play threat at running back in this year's draft, Henderson averaged an incredible 8.9 YPC the last two seasons for Memphis while handling a heavy workload. He doesn't have the prototypical frame for an NFL starter, but his balance and footwork make him tougher to bring down in traffic than his upright running style suggests, and his incredible acceleration allows him to hit top speed in a hiccup and turn a small crease or tiny patch of green into a huge gain. Henderson also showed he can be an asset as a receiver, both as a check-down option and as a route-runner, but he might need to improve his blocking skills to see significant passing-down action. If he's stuck purely as Todd Gurley's backup, Henderson's touches will be limited, especially if Malcolm Brown also stays in the mix for snaps. The big question is whether Gurley can stay on the field amidst reports of a degenerative condition in his left knee. If not, Henderson could land a key role in an efficient, uptempo offense with strong blocking and impressive downfield weapons.