Derrick Henry receives the kind of praise most players can only dream of

There's not a player in the league quite like Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry. His teammate Ronnie Stanley knows just how special Henry is. While speaking to the media recently, Stanley perfectly summed up why Henry is so special. 

“They don’t build humans like that. There’s not many challengers, I’d say," Stanley said. 

At 6-foot-2, 252 pounds, Henry is built more like a linebacker than a running back. This makes him exceptionally difficult to tackle and an absolute physical force. All the same, Henry has elite breakaway speed. Put this together, and you get one of the most unstoppable players in league history. 

Baltimore Ravens RB Derrick Henry is a one-of-one player

The connecting thread of many great players is outlier traits, and Henry has more outlier traits than any running back I've ever seen. His combination of size, strength, control, and speed is simply unprecedented. At the end of the day, greatness is what all players are chasing, which makes Stanley's comments the ultimate praise. 

In terms of finding running backs who are physically similar to Henry, there aren't many. At 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, Saquon Barkley is perhaps the closest running back to Henry, stature-wise. While Barkley is a great player in his own right, he's not nearly as physical as Henry. 

You could point to Najee Harris from a build standpoint, but he's not close to the level of player that Henry is. Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis is a classic power back, but at 5-foot-11, he's three inches shorter than Henry, and he was never as fast. 

Henry is now 32 years old, but watching him, you'd think he's still 25. Longevity is yet another area where Henry is super unique. So yeah, all things considered, it's safe to say Henry is a one-of-one player. 

Derrick Henry is a major part of the Baltimore Ravens' success

As the season nears, expectations are sky-high for the Ravens, and Henry is a big reason for the lofty expectations around the team. Henry is coming off a season where he rushed for 1,595 yards (the second most in the league); he remains an unstoppable and dominant force despite his age. Given his regimented diet, there's no reason to believe that Henry is slowing down any time soon. 

There's (understandably) a ton of excitement around how new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle can uplift the Ravens' passing game. However, we shouldn't forget that Henry will still be a key part of the Ravens and that he could even be used more, particularly in high-leverage situations.

One of the biggest shortcomings of the previous coaching staff was that they didn't utilize Henry in big moments. Two of the most glaring examples of the Ravens abandoning Henry in the run game happened in Prime Time, first in Week 13 on Thanksgiving Night against the Cincinnati Bengals and the second in Week 16 on Sunday Night against the New England Patriots. The Ravens' new coaching staff will help with these issues, which could lead to an even better season for Henry. 

Ultimately, Henry remains an unstoppable force, and he's truly an anomaly. 

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