Rival Executive Shares Major Praise for Ravens Superstar

Most NFL fans know of Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry's iconic nickname, "The King." To opposing defenses, however, he's more of a tyrant than a benevolent ruler.

After all, Henry is arguably the most prolific running back of the past decade, and after rushing for 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns in his age-30 season, he's not slowing down any time soon. It's one thing to put up big numbers, but it's another to completely demoralize opposing defenses, and he does just that with his physical style of play.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler polled league executives for a running back ranking, on which Henry received a very strong No. 2 placement behind only Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley. However, a comment he received from one executive in particular stands out.

"He'll slow down at some point, but he's got elite body composition and elite work ethic," an AFC executive told Fowler. "He's a monster. No one wants to tackle him, and then when he wears you down, that's when he breaks off that big run."

Henry, a five-time Pro Bowler and the 2020 Offensive Player of the Year, showed last year that he's still one of the league's best, as shown by him jumping up from No. 9 to No. 2 on this same ranking a year apart. With how well he takes care of himself, he should have a couple more years of strong production at least.

"Henry's 830 rushing yards after contact in 2024 -- his first season with the Ravens -- were 191 more than the next-closest player (Josh Jacobs)," Fowler wrote. "His 3,634 yards after contact since 2020 is 945 more than the second-ranked player (also Jacobs). All of this is nothing new. Tackling Henry has forever been an arduous task. But coming off 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns, Henry appears averse to the running back cliff to which most 30-somethings succumb.

"Somehow, Henry is proving more efficient with age. Henry's 5.9 yards per rush last season represented the highest mark by a player with 250 carries in a season since Adrian Peterson in 2012 (6.0). And his 13 career games with 150 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns ties Jim Brown for the most in NFL history."