Could you imagine dropping Derrick Henry into this Tampa Bay Buccaneers team? They would immediately become Super Bowl favorites. Believe it or not, it could have been a reality if the Bucs hadn't made an egregious draft mistake nine years ago.
Henry's explosive performance on Sunday Night Football is just one more reminder that he should never have fallen as far as he did in the 2016 NFL Draft. Now, he's one of the best players in football, and the rest of the league just has to sit back and regret their decisions.
Derrick Henry could have been a Buccaneer
Looking at the player Derrick Henry is now, it's hard to imagine that he slid all the way to the middle of the second round. But scouts were concerned that his heavy workload throughout college would shorten his NFL career. As a result, the former Alabama running back fell to pick 45, where the Tennessee Titans gladly scooped him up.
Over 2,000 carries and 11,500 rushing yards later, it seems ridiculous that there were ever concerns about Henry's longevity. The 6'2", 252-pound back looks like a superhuman on the football field, even at 31 years old. He's been one of the most dominant players in the league over the last decade, leading to endless regret for the teams that passed him by back in 2016.
For the Buccaneers, the decision is especially haunting. Just six picks before the All-Pro back came off the board, Tampa Bay selected outside linebacker Noah Spence out of Eastern Kentucky. Scouts around the league were worried about Spence's issues off the field, but the Bucs fell head over heels for his motor and physicality. As is often the case when teams reach for players, the rest of the league was right.
The edge rusher played just five seasons in the NFL. In Tampa Bay, he produced 53 tackles and seven sacks over his first three years. The team moved on from him just three seasons after spending a top-40 draft pick on him. Two years later, he was out of the league entirely.
Of course, the Bucs have managed to remain competitive even without Henry. Despite the Spence miss, general manager Jason Licht has consistently been able to put together quality rosters. But with one of the best running backs in recent history on the team, Tampa Bay could have become the next great dynasty.