The Buffalo Bills need youth at the running back position, and they appear intent on adding that youth via the 2019 NFL Draft. On Wednesday, they hosted another running back on a pre-draft visit, as Darrell Henderson said via his Instagram that he would be visiting with the Bills.
Henderson declared for the draft after a breakout junior year for the Memphis Tigers. He totaled an astounding 1,909 yards on 214 carries, good for a whopping 8.9 yards per carry. As a sophomore in 2017, Henderson also averaged 8.9 yards per attempt, amassing 1,154 yards on just 130 carries. For his three-year career, Henderson caught 63 passes for 758 yards and eight touchdowns.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Henderson tested well. He ran a 4.49-second forty-yard dash, tying him with Penn State’s Miles Sanders for sixth among running backs. Sanders visited the Bills on Tuesday. Henderson’s 22 reps in the bench press also tied him for sixth among running backs, and his 121” broad jump was good for eighth. Overall, the non-Power-Five rusher showed himself to be an elite athlete when positioned among his peers.
At 5’8” and 208 pounds, there are some questions about whether Henderson can withstand a full year of NFL-caliber beatings at a physically demanding position. However, the nature of the modern NFL is such that there are no true “bell-cow” backs anymore, as most backfields are “by committee” in 2019. Walterfootball has Henderson ranked as the fifteenth-best running back in the 2019 draft class.