NFL Draft Watch: Henry getting monster workload down the stretch

NFL Draft Watch takes a weekly look at the world of college football, focusing on some of the top draft-eligible players who could transition to the professional game in 2016.

Derrick Henry is widely considered the No. 2 running back available in next year's draft, second only to Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott.

While the Alabama star is solidifying his status courtesy of the strong performances he puts forth on a weekly basis, the workload he's taken on is quickly becoming a big part of his NFL evaluation.

With 46 carries in a Nov. 28 win over Auburn, and another 44 in Saturday's SEC championship win over Florida, Henry now has an unbelievable 90 rushing attempts over the past two weeks.

A 13-game total of 339 carries puts him on pace to finish the year with 391 should Alabama advance to the national championship game - just one attempt shy of the 392 that had many worried about DeMarco Murray's durability last year in Dallas.

The fact that Henry only stepped into a featured backfield role for the first time this season should help alleviate similar concerns, but NFL personnel would certainly prefer to see top running backs utilized more carefully.

Running backs tend to have limited shelf lives at the professional level as it is, so coming into the league at full strength will always be imperative to maximizing long-term value.

Notable Performances

Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State
16-of-32, 191 passing yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT
Michigan State escaped with the win, securing a spot in the College Football Playoff as a result, but a disappointing game from Cook won't exactly help his draft stock looking ahead to the spring. The senior quarterback's struggles may have come as a result of a recent shoulder injury, but he'll need to play at a higher level against Alabama in the Cotton Bowl regardless.

Tevaun Smith, WR, Iowa
5 receptions, 110 yards, 1 TD
Though his team would eventually go on to lose the Big Ten championship, Smith gave Iowa a late lead with an 85-yard touchdown catch to start the fourth quarter. It's that kind of big-play ability that should make him an intriguing prospect for teams at the next level, especially if his athleticism allows him to test well during pre-draft workouts.

Brandon Doughty, QB, Western Kentucky
34-of-52, 410 passing yards, 3 TDs
Another strong performance in leading Western Kentucky to a Conference USA championship saw Doughty finish the regular season ranked second in passing yards and first in touchdowns. Production is only one part of the equation for evaluating quarterbacks, but it would only take one team seeing Doughty as a fit for its system to make him a potential mid-round prospect.

Updated 1st-Round Draft Order