Willie Henry NFL Draft 2016: Scouting Report, Grade for Ravens Rookie

POSITIVES

Willie Henry flew under the radar until the arrival of new head coach Jim Harbaugh. Playing in a new defense allowed him to flourish, and his 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for a loss helped put Henry on the radar of NFL teams.

A versatile defensive lineman with experience in both a 3-4 and 4-3 alignment, Henry’s ability to rush the quarterback from inside a gap or stand up the run on the edge over the tackle drives up value. Henry is able to win with his first step, which is one of the best in the class. He has burst and the power to back it up when countered by an agile blocker.

He brings a full 300 pounds behind him with heavy hands (10 ⅞”) and the reach (33 ⅜”) to keep the blocker’s outside arm off his chest.

Henry has a strong, thick base and uses it to get push in bull-rush scenarios and also to anchor against the run. He’ll sit in a gap and shut down the run, but he has the length and power to handle a two-gap assignment just as well.

When the quarterback is in his sights, Henry is like a wolf smelling meat. He attacks with great closing speed and a tenacity that’s missing from many top prospects in this class.

NEGATIVES

Henry is a fun player to watch, but his balance and body control could be better. He’ll get knocked sideways at times and walled down in the run game because he doesn’t have a steady base underneath him.

There have been concerns from area scouts we spoke to that Henry’s production was schemed for him with Texas stunts and twists that matched him up with guards who couldn’t handle his speed. A lack of a secondary pass-rush move seems to validate some of this, as Henry rarely got to the quarterback on a second move.

On rushing downs, Henry can be undisciplined. His desire to get upfield and attack the quarterback will leave him out of position to stop the run through his gap.

COMBINE RESULTS

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 303 lbs.

40 Time: 5.00s

3-Cone: 7.57s

Short Shuttle: 4.53s

PRO COMPARISON: Kawann Short, Carolina Panthers
FINAL GRADE: 6.50/9.00 (Round 2—Future Starter)