2015 Heisman Trophy Finalists' Pro Player Comparisons

This year's trio of finalists for the Heisman Trophy—Alabama running back Derrick Henry, Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey and Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson—have already shown they have bright futures ahead on the football field.

Henry is knocking on the door of a 2,000-yard season after dominating the touchdown charts. McCaffrey has shown he can do it all with speedy style. Watson has been excellent in several areas of quarterback play as he led his team to an undefeated regular season.

All three players have some rather unique skill sets that made them such dangerous players in 2015. But that hasn't stopped the experts at both the college and the NFL level from comparing them to greats, both past and present. 

Who do these college all-stars compare to in the professional ranks? Let's take a look at what the experts have said this season.

(Upfront, let's be clear these are comparisons of their styles of play, not their potential or how they'll pan out in the NFL.)

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Alabama RB Derrick Henry

Henry is one of the most physically impressive players college football has seen in quite some time.

His 242-pound weight screams power back, but Henry also boasts a home run threat out of the backfield that many in this category just don't have. When he hits top speed, he's almost impossible to slow down.

Of course, his 6'3" frame makes it tougher for him to get there. Some NFL analysts worry about his pad level and the amount of room it takes a guy of his size to operate for big plays.

"He's not nearly as powerful running east to west," Rob Rang of CBS Sports wrote. "Further, he doesn't possess ideal balance for the position, sporting a top-heavy frame and long legs which make it easier for defenders to tackle him low... Asking Henry to dance laterally, however, takes away the raw speed and power combination that make him special."

Some have compared Henry's powerful style to that of LeGarrette Blount, the 250-pound former Oregon Duck, now in his second stint with the New England Patriots. 

But Blount is only 6'0", so a better representation of his game might be found in the recent past with retired running back Brandon Jacobs.

Earlier this month, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com asked five executives in the league for the best NFL comparison to Henry, and three mentioned the 6'4" former New York Giant.

"I'm a little surprised all five executives didn't pick Jacobs," Jeremiah wrote. "That was the obvious choice to me because of their similar size, speed and need for a runway."

For fans who may want to go back a little further and find a more successful example of a big back, Eddie George is also a fine comparison.

The four-time Pro Bowler took on a ridiculous amount of carries in his career—just like Henry has already done in his record-breaking high school and college days.

Henry seems to have a little more speed than these comparisons, though, which makes him such an incredible player to watch and an intriguing running back prospect at the next level.

Jason O. Watson/Getty Images

Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey

Speed and versatility are the aspects that pop out the most in McCaffrey's game, and this Pac-12 champion is similar to another West Coast star who stuffed the stat sheets in his Heisman campaign—Reggie Bush.

Both McCaffrey and Bush are around the same size at 6'0" and a little more than 200 pounds. And the new single-season king of all-purpose yards in college football, like Bush, is someone his team wants to get the ball to in as many ways as possible. 

"Although his impressive feats as a runner pop off the stat sheet, his skills as a receiver and returner will make him a coveted prospect in NFL meeting rooms," Bucky Brooks of NFL.com wrote last month. "McCaffrey's flashy combination of speed, quickness and burst reminds some scouts of Reggie Bush, which is a testament to his dominance in the Pac-12."

McCaffrey has played the traditional running back role, slot receiver, kick returner, punt returner and even some Wildcat quarterback this season. Although the rushing numbers are quite different, Bush's total touches were similarly spread out among several areas when he had his fantastic 2005 campaign at USC.

Player	Reggie Bush	Christian McCaffrey
Rushing	200 carries for 1,740 yards	319 carries for 1,847 yards
Receiving	37 catches for 478 yards	41 catches for 540 yards
Kick Returning	28 returns for 493 yards	36 returns for 1,042 yards
Punt Returning	18 returns for 179 yards	14 returns for 67 yards
Touchdowns	19	15

"I'm not making the Reggie Bush comparison," Stanford head coach David Shaw said, per George Schroeder of USA Today. "But it seems like everybody else around me is."

As Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus noted earlier this year, McCaffrey is a "legitimately elite running back" who doesn't suffer a drop-off when asked to be a receiving weapon.

"What brings real intrigue to his ability though is the fact that he could easily play wide receiver every bit as well as he can play running back," Monson wrote. "Stanford doesn’t just throw him the ball out of the backfield but will line him up either in the slot or split out wide as a true wide out."

McCaffrey can be the workhorse who grinds out carry after carry out of the backfield, and he also can win games with his big-play ability in special teams and in the passing game. 

The Stanford star might have a bit more power to his running game than the former USC great and current San Francisco 49ers player, but it's hard not to see the similarities when McCaffrey flies his way into the open field.

After all, McCaffrey considers Bush one of his idols and even got a chance to train with him in 2014:

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

Clemson QB Deshaun Watson

Like McCaffrey, Watson has at least one more year of college football left before heading to the next level. But the Clemson star quarterback doesn't have a picture-perfect player to compare to in the NFL. 

He's somewhat similar to former Heisman winner Cam Newton in terms of his ability on designed runs and deep balls. Clemson took full advantage of those down the stretch, with Watson getting more than 100 rushing yards in four of his final five games of the regular season.

While Watson doesn't have the immense size of Newton—he is a few inches shorter and around 40 pounds lighter—he isn't afraid to get physical on runs, even with the injury issues he faced in 2014. (Watson also showed he can celebrate like Newton, too.)

"His athleticism and running ability are a nice add-on to his game—he’s difficult to tackle (forced 17 missed tackles) and able to make plays when the pocket breaks down," Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus wrote earlier this year.

When it comes to his ability to pick defenses apart in the pocket, though, Watson is a lot like Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

Watson is cool, calm and collected on passing plays and has the ability to make a wide variety of throws. Whenever the pocket collapses, he can scramble and complete strong passes downfield.

As Clemson beat writer Aaron Brenner of the Post and Courier told the Miami Herald earlier this year, Watson's skill set goes beyond the typical dual-threat passer:

"

Watson does many things at a high level, particular for the college game. Perhaps the pro quarterback Watson mimics the most is Russell Wilson, since he's one step past a dual threat — he's a triple threat, in that he can hand off to Wayne Gallman, tuck and run it himself or drop back and fire a quick pass. It's very difficult to scheme against, especially since Clemson has more than its share of athletes on the perimeter. He's also an improving deep thrower, and reads defenses very well for a kid who just turned 20.

"

Wilson isn't the perfect comparison, either, as he's shorter than 6'0" and averages only two designed run plays per game in his NFL career, per Football Outsiders.

Perhaps Watson is best described as a blend of the two star quarterbacks—some of the height and strong running ability of Newton with the some of the pocket presence and precision of Wilson.

Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.