Rookie SWOT: Carlos Henderson
Name: Carlos Henderson
Position: Wide Receiver
Pro Team: Denver Broncos
College Team: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Draft Status: Round Three, Pick No. 82 Overall
Video Highlights
Combine Review
- Height: 5’11’’
- Weight: 199 Pounds
- Hands: 9 1/8’’
- Arm Length: 31 3/8’’
- Bench Press (225 Pounds): 13 Reps
- 40-Yard-Dash: 4.46
- 20-Yard-Shuttle: 4.35
- 3-Cone: 7.18
- Vertical: 36’’
Strengths
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Henderson is very dangerous after the catch and a threat to score from anywhere on the football. He’s a powerful runner and can accelerate at rapid pace, making him tough to tackle in the open field. As one of the best deep threats in this rookie class, Henderson excels at taking the top off the defense and pressuring defensive backs with his speed. His ability to get in and out of his breaks while being able to quickly regain speed after making his cut allows him to create separation from defenders.
Not only can he shake up defensive backs with his athleticism but he’s very good at tracking the ball to make tough over the shoulder catches while running routes deep down field. He’s a consistent hands-catcher and can pluck the ball out of the air without losing stride.
With three kickoff returns for touchdowns during his three-year collegiate career, Henderson was one of the best kick returners in the country. His ability to play special teams increases his value to his team and is another reminder of how dangerous he is when he has the ball in his hands.
Weaknesses
Henderson doesn’t have a diverse route tree and he mostly ran slants, streaks, hitches and deep posts. This is normal for most wide receivers coming out of college, because a lot of programs don’t require their players to run the entire route tree in their system.
Although he’s a consistent hands catcher, he doesn’t have the “my ball” mentality when it comes to out muscling defenders to reel in contested catches. Physical defenders can easily win at the catch point and prevent Henderson from making the catch. Focus drops is another issue that will need to be addressed as he would sometimes drop catchable balls.
Opportunities
The Denver Broncos needed a third wide receiver going into the draft. Cody Latimer appears to be a bust and the team needed an explosive player to line up with Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders in three wide-receiver sets. The job is practically his for the taking and the team should grant plenty of opportunities for him to succeed early in his career. His ability to blow by slower defensive backs could allow him to make a positive impact for the team early in his career.
Threats
Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders are going to command a large portion of the targets, limiting his target share potential. Not only could he see a limited number of targets but the poor quarterback play from Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemian could cause him to see a lot of uncatchable passes. The Broncos are also very interested in establishing the run as they ran the ball on 40.2 percent of their offensive plays last year, ranking 18th in the league. The bottom line is that Henderson could experience a lot of competition for targets, which could limit his potential in fantasy leagues.
Short-Term Expectations
Expect him to work in the rotation as the team’s third wide receiver early in his career. His speed and deep threat abilities could make him a volatile flex play. He will need the team to part ways with either Emmanuel Sanders or Demaryius Thomas in the next few years for him to make an instant impact in fantasy leagues.
Long-Term Expectations
It may take a few years, but he should eventually develop into the team’s second wide receiver and the team’s premier deep threat. There’s a very good chance that he could develop into a tangible fantasy asset in the third or fourth year in his career. With opportunity being limited, he should deliver less than optimal fantasy results during the first couple of seasons, but he could experience an increase in production if the Broncos decided to cut ties from either Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas.
NFL Comparison
His best comparable player might be Santonio Holmes, because both players are very similar when it comes to size, speed and overall athleticism. Holmes was a dynamic wide receiver, catching 6,030 yards and 36 touchdowns during his nine-year career. Both players are very dynamic with the ball in space and are capable of eating up yards after the catch.
Andre Roberts is another player that compares to Henderson, due to his speed and big play potential. Roberts has bounced around the league during the course of his career, filling in as a deep threat in three and four wide receiver sets for the Cardinals, Redskins and Lions. There’s a chance that Henderson could face a similar fate if he doesn’t take over as one of the top receivers in Denver’s offense.
Projected Range for Rookie Drafts
Per DLF Rookie Rankings, Henderson is being selected anywhere between the late second to the early third round in rookie drafts with an ADP of 21.30 and he is usually the eighth wide receiver off the board. Depending how other owners value him in your league, there’s a possibility that he could fall into the middle to late third round of your rookie draft. Not all drafts are the same and Henderson is a player that could get drafted in the second round in some drafts, but could easily fall in the late third round in other drafts. His dynasty stock presents a lot of upside due to his big play potential, making a third-round rookie pick a very palatable price tag. He’s not expected to be his team’s leading receiver, so there should be another buying window to obtain him on the cheap via trade during his rookie season. He’s a solid wide receiver prospect and he’s definitely worth the risk as a late second to a mid third round pick in rookie drafts.
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