I agree with you. He may be "fast" as in the fastest to 20 yards but straight line soeed isnt everything. Demps was like that, superfast in a straight line. Thats important for outrunnig a safety but shiftiness is more important when hitting the hole.
Just saying our backs or anyone else's don't seem to have the same measurables or stats for that matter as the guys coming out of Bama so I don't think it hurts their draft status.....
It goes both ways. A long strider who is as explosive as Henry can hit a seam and be through the hole and into the second level faster than a guy with quicker shorter steps but can't move sideways or jump cut to get into a hole like a guy with quick choppy feet. The bigger, longer striding back can however inflict punishment once into the second level and typically pushes the pile for extra yardage in turn creating better down and distance situations and more first downs. The effects of the bigger, fast and long striding back is that they make a defense pucker up and become susceptible to being burned deep like Bama has done the last 2 years with Henry. Rewatch the 2014 and 2015 Bama and UF games, Kiffen used a hammer as a decoy to burn us often.
None of this even makes sense. Henry is a long strider, and he has no "quick sidestepping, jump cutting ability." That's the problem. He's straight line speed only and it takes him 4 steps to get up to speed as well. Conversely guys with shorter quicker steps typically DO have those cutting abilities, it's a natural capability based off their physique.
That's what I said.....Henry is a long strider who is more of a straight liner. He does his damage when he has room to get going. I think you are somewhat misled about his quickness though, I think his long legs make him appear slower than he really is. He's been clocked as fast as the 4.3's in the 40....
None is debating his top end speed, but it doesn't help him hit the hole because he needs at least ten yards to get to that speed.
He's surely more effective as a hammer than a chisel, and I'm not trying to state that he will have success in the NFL. In CFB a guy like him is a huge advantage if they're running behind a decent line, especially in a pro style offense. Remember how many long passes Bama threw against us in the 2014 game? Our safety's and LBer's got caught with their eye's in the backfield. Same thing when we played LSU this year, our safety's and generally our whole defense was watching Fornette so hard they let the second worst QB in the conference throw bombs over their heads....
