Derrick Henry: Should Vikings target to replace AD?

Derrick Henry put up monster combine numbers and no doubt some folks will think the Vikings should draft him to replace Adrian Peterson.

Alabama running back Derrick Henry was one of the big stars of Friday’s combine in Indianapolis, posting numbers that absolutely jump off the page.

Everyone knew Henry was very athletic for a man his size, but these numbers put him in the “freak” category according to experts.

Height: 6025

Weight: 247

40-yard dash: 4.52

Vertical: 37

Broad jump: 10-10

Bench press: 22

Just by way of comparison, here’s what Jerick McKinnon did at the combine a couple years ago at a much lighter weight.

McKinnon was drafted by the Vikings two years ago largely as a result of his measurables. Clearly the Vikings take such numbers seriously when evaluating certain positions.

I’ll just cut to the chase here: Given Henry’s obvious physical tools, would the Vikings be smart to say goodbye to Adrian Peterson right now and target Henry in the draft with an eye toward creating a Henry-McKinnon athletic-freak two-headed backfield?

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Before you say “no way, that’s crazy” think about it for a second.

Peterson as we know is going to be 31-years-old in 2016. He led the league in rushing last year, on a league-leading number of carries, but he clearly wore down late in the season and his production went south as a result.

Peterson also had trouble getting in-sync in the Vikings’ shotgun spread formations, a situation that resulted in Minnesota scaling back those looks and clearly hurting not just Teddy Bridgewater but the whole offense.

Peterson’s getting-in-sync issues were so great that Minnesota hired Pat Shurmur specifically to work on the spread.

Did I mention that Peterson fumbled in a key situation in the Vikings’ playoff game against the Seahawks? Peterson will never carry the Vikings to the title until he learns how to carry the ball without dropping it.

And then there’s the money. On the third day of the league year, two weeks from now, Minnesota will have to pay Adrian Peterson a roster bonus of up to $5 million (depending on how the escalators worked out) and guarantee his full $7 million base salary for 2016.

Cutting Peterson saves you $11 million against the cap, and gives you the chance to rework your entire offense with an eye toward helping Teddy Bridgewater. No more accommodating Adrian Peterson.

Now of course there are problems with this idea as well. The big one is that you can’t guarantee Derrick Henry will even be available at #23 overall. Cutting Peterson would be a clear signal to the league that you covet some running back in the draft, and any team that wanted Henry would very likely trade ahead of the Vikings, trashing your entire plan. You would almost have no choice but to trade up yourself in order to ensure you get your man.

And of course you can’t be certain that Henry will even work out. But then you can say that about any player, can’t you?

Next: Jason Spriggs is combine monster

I’m not saying it wouldn’t be a huge gamble to cut ties with Adrian Peterson now and bank on Derrick Henry being available at #23. And I’m certain that in the end the Vikings will not actually do this. But don’t fool yourself: Rick Spielman is going to think about it.

Spielman loves his SPARQ scores and his measurables. You know he has to love Derrick Henry.

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