Darrell Henderson

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.