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Who Is The Biggest Running Back In The NFL?

Have you ever wondered who is the biggest running back in the NFL as of the moment? The Tennessee Titans running back, Derrick Henry, who stands at 6’3, 247 pounds is the biggest running back in the NFL. The average for the position at the NFL Combine has been 5’11, 219 pounds ever since 2011. 

Henry was listed at 6’3 and 240 pounds even when he was still attending Yulee High School in Northeast Florida. He took advantage of his massive size mismatch to score a shocking 153 touchdowns. 55 in his senior year alone. He has a national-record of 12,124 rushing yards in four seasons at Yulee.

Derrick Henry’s Background 

Derrick Lamar Henry Jr. was born on the 4th of January 1994. He is an American football running back for the Tennessee Titans.[1]

In college, Henry found his way to the top as well as when he won a Heisman Trophy at Alabama. In 2019, Henry got the league rushing title with 1,540 yards and 16 touchdowns. Not just that, but he also became the first player ever with 180 rushing yards in three consecutive games.

Aside from his size that’s most certainly bothering his opponents, he is surprisingly explosive for a player of his stature too. He boasts a score of seven touchdowns of more than 65 yards—five rushing and two receiving in the last three seasons. That’s tied with the 185-pound speedster wide receiver Tyreek Hill of Kansas City Chiefs for the NFL lead over that span. Take note that no other player has more than five.

Below are his career highlights and awards:

  • Pro Bowl (2019)
  • Second-team All-Pro (2019)
  • NFL rushing yards leader (2019)
  • NFL rushing touchdowns co-leader (2019)
  • CFP national champion (2015)
  • Heisman Trophy (2015)
  • Maxwell Award (2015)
  • Doak Walker Award (2015)
  • Walter Camp Award (2015)
  • Unanimous All-American (2015)
  • First-team All-SEC (2015)
  • SEC Offensive Player of the Year (2015)
  • Yulee Hornets No. 2 retired
  • USA Today High School All-American (2012)
  • Florida’s Mr. Football (2012)
  • NFL record 99-yard rushing touchdown (Tied with Tony Dorsett)

Some of The Biggest Running Backs Next To Derrick Henry

If you want to know who are the biggest running backs next to Derrick Henry, below is a list to cover that together with a few information about them.

Jerome Bettis; 5’11”, 252 lbs.

Jerome Abram Bettis Sr., born on the 24th of February 1972, is also known as The Bus. He is a former American football halfback who played for both the Los Angeles Rams/St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Bettis is renowned for being eighth on the list of NFL rushing yards leaders. In 2006, he retired after winning at the Super Bowl XL with the Steelers in his native Detroit, Michigan, beating the Seattle Seahawks.[2] And in 2015, Bettis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

Bettis spent a majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and carried for over 1,000 yards in seven of his thirteen seasons. Overall, Bettis successfully made his way to 13,662 yards and 91 touchdowns. He also managed to throw for three touchdowns in his career, the last of which came in 2004.

Jamal Lewis; 5’11”, 240 lbs.

Jamal Lewis, born on the 26th of August 1979, is a former American football running back for Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns. In the 2000 NFL Draft, he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens fifth overall. When his first seven seasons with the Ravens were over, Lewis signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Browns prior to the 2007 season and retired just after the 2009 season.

In 2003, Lewis’ biggest season came with the Ravens where he scampered for 2,066 yards and 14 touchdowns. In that same year, he was voted to the Pro Bowl, and that’s the only year that happened. In 2009, Lewis began to experience severe headaches and vision problems after he suffered several concussions. It was then that he decided it was time to retire. 

Craig Heyward; 5’11”, 280 lbs.

Craig William “Ironhead” Heyward was born on the 26th of September 1966 and died on the 27th of May 2006. He was an American football fullback for the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, St. Louis Rams, and Indianapolis Colts in his 11-year National Football League career.

His awesome but punishing ground game got him 30 touchdowns, 4,301 yards and a 4.2 YPC average on 1,031 carries. In the offseasons, Heyward’s weight would go over 300 pounds, but he would generally trim down to 280 or 250 by the time the season would roll back around. In 1995, Heyward steamrolled for over 1,000 yards with the Falcons and earned himself a trip to the Pro Bowl.

Final Words 

In conclusion, running backs are one of the useful weapons teams can use to win in the field. And not just as receivers out of the backfield, they matter equally as any other positions in the NFL. So what do you think about running backs and their sizes? Do they contribute to each of their teams’ success? Let us know what you think!

Resources:

1. “Titans Home | Tennessee Titans – TennesseeTitans.com.” https://www.tennesseetitans.com/. Accessed 23 Jul. 2020.
2.  “Seattle Seahawks – Wikipedia.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Seahawks. Accessed 23 Jul. 2020.

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