It's amazing to look back and see that Derrick Henry fell all the way to the 45th overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft. It's even more mind-boggling that the Tennessee Titans actually passed on Henry three times before selecting the 6'3", 247-pound ball-carrier.
Not all of those selections were bad, though.
After trading away the No. 1 overall pick, the Titans traded up to the eighth overall pick and selected offensive tackle Jack Conklin. The right tackle became a first-team All-Pro as a rookie and earned the honor again four years later as a member of the Cleveland Browns.
Tennessee chose nose tackle Austin Johnson in the second round. He's a lunch-pail type working in the middle of the defensive line, but he's still in the league as a valuable contributor, particularly on run downs.
Henry turned out to be a superstar, of course. Questions about whether he had the short-area quickness or lateral movement to succeed in the NFL were quickly squashed. He went on to win Offensive Player of the Year in 2020 and captured two rushing titles.
Even at age 29, King Henry finished second leaguewide with 1,167 rushing yards last season despite playing behind the league's worst offensive line. He's well on his way to cracking 10,000 rushing yards after signing with the Baltimore Ravens this offseason.
One round later, the Titans chose Kevin Byard, who has been an elite free safety. Like Conklin, Byard earned a pair of first-team All-Pro nods. Tennessee traded Byard to the Philadelphia Eagles before last year's trade deadline. Before then, he had been one of the game's most consistent backline performers.
The Titans were built as a hard-nosed squad with a winning record between 2018-21. The 2018 draft class was the biggest reason why.
