Rookie Profile: Carlos Henderson, WR Louisiana Tech
Film or metrics – what is the true answer in defining a player? With Carlos Henderson, we have the film, but there is a lack of metrics to quantify his tape.
Coming out of high school, Henderson was not heavily recruited. His top interest came from Arizona State and Utah, but he passed on both to become a team member of Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. The majority of schools were not impressed with him due to his size (5’10” and 180 pounds) and the fact he was a “tweener”. Henderson’s skills were on display as a running back, defensive back, and wide receiver. With both ESPN and 24/7 listing him as a three-star athlete, many colleges probably believed he was moderate at best – a typical college receiver. What most scouts didn’t expect was that he would turn his limitations around and become a pro athlete.
Henderson redshirted his freshman season, but went on to play the next three seasons. As a sophomore and junior, he caught 65 balls on 107 targets and scored nine times, but it was in 2016 when he really shined. Henderson caught 85 passes on 114 targets and had 19 touchdowns. This was good enough to earn him recognition as Conference USA’s Offensive and Special Teams Player of the Year.
He hasn’t always been healthy. In 2015, he suffered hand and ankle injuries but showed the toughness to play through them. When on the field, he is seen at the X receiver spot and on the line of scrimmage. He played on both sides of the field, but mainly left wide receiver. The offense at LA Tech, a spread system with simple routes (slants, skinny posts, go routes, etc.) will force Henderson to learn more than ever at the pro level.
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Statistics from sports-reference.com.
Catching the ball isn’t the only aspect of Henderson’s game. He also was a key member of the special teams, returning kicks, averaging 32.3 yards a return in 2016 and scoring three times in his collegiate career. This will go a long way in helping him get drafted and staying on the field for the team that does draft him.
The one thing that fools people is his size. He has a thick frame, which makes you think running back, but he has the DNA of a wide receiver. You would think his body diameters would keep him from being fast enough to play the wide out position, but it doesn’t seem to faze him. Instead, he uses his bulk to go over the middle and break tackles. Henderson has shown on a continuous basis that he is dangerous after the catch, and isn’t easy to bring down.
His quick burst off the snap allows him to beat defenders and get open deep. He will break arm tackles and force defenders to wrap him up in the open field, or he is going to be tough to catch. Solid technique must be used to bring Henderson down, as he has great balance and strength. His linear running style is interesting, but he can redirect if need be.
Henderson can coordinate his body to make all the catches by shifting his body up or down. He doesn’t explode off the screen but has multiple gears to get away from pursuit. He was versatile enough to garner carries as a running back for the Bulldogs.
An important note that should easily be taken into consideration about Henderson’s game is his blocking technique. Just watching some of his videos, you can see how he de-cleats those in his way. He does not shy away from contact and is bullish when it comes down to removing a defender from the path of the ball carrier.
While reviewing Carlos Henderson’s Player Profiler page, it suggests a player who may not be a number one receiver, but a very good compliment as a slot or wing man. He can be successful when facing man, zone, and vertical coverages.
He doesn’t have the longest reach (31 3/8, which is in the 36th percentile). This will give him difficulty in getting the ball on 50/50 chances or keeping defenders away from press coverage. It also affects his catching radius. He is limited to only the 25th percentile in this area, scoring a 9.88 while a 10.20 shows up as a top athlete. His forty yard of 4.46 (76th) and height adjusted speed score of 97.8 (61st) fall in the average to below average range. The adjusted speed score tells how well a player performs at his height, weight, and forty speed. In other words, he should be faster due to his height and weight.
His burst score displays why he is a kick returner and tough to beat on press coverage. His burst score combines his vertical and long jump, and it’s very good as he finished eighth in the broad jump (131) and just outside the top ten for the vertical (36.0).
Lets take a deeper look more measurables from Mock Draftable.
Again, we see an athlete who just isn’t measuring up, with a slew of low scores in both the 20 and 60- yard shuttle and the 3-cone. His arm length, hand size and height are better than the drills, but not by much. His broad, vert and 40 times are all solid.
Yes, the numbers don’t speak well for Carlos Henderson, but there is more to his game when analyzing his ability to play at the NFL level. Will it be easy? No, but he has never had it that way. When thinking about drafting him, keep in mind that Henderson is a wide receiver in a running back body. He will break the tackles and do damage in the slot. In my mind, he is a highly underrated prospect that most people won’t think about because he wasn’t in the national spotlight very often, and didn’t set the combine on fire. Don’t make the same mistake come draft time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88-ARED1COE
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