NFL Draft: Willie Henry Should have Stayed at Michigan
Michigan’s Willie Henry will get picked in the 2016 NFL draft, but had he stayed one more year, he might have gone much higher.
Deciding whether or not to enter the NFL Draft is not an easy decision. It’s one that has multiple layers and that’s why it’s hard to criticize Michigan football player Willie Henry for declaring after an outstanding 2015 season.
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Henry became a force in the first season under head coach Jim Harbaugh, registering 34 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. In 2014, he had 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, numbers which are pretty outstanding for an interior defensive lineman.
Henry’s 18 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks should easily help his stock rise in the upcoming NFL Draft, but for some reason, many draft experts, such as ESPN’s Mel Kiper, don’t believe Henry will get selected until the third day of the draft, which includes rounds 4-7.
Obviously, even if Henry lasts until day three, which I don’t necessarily believe, because pass-rushing defensive tackles are hard to find and at 6-3, 311 pounds, he has the perfect body to be a defensive tackle in the NFL, he can still succeed.
There is a strong chance that Henry’s skills are being underrated by NFL Draft experts and scouts from NFL teams. He is a force against the run and reminds me of Mike Daniels, the former Iowa product that went in the fourth round of the draft to the Green Bay Packers in 2012, only to turn into a star a few years later.
The NFL Draft is one of the biggest crap shoots in sports. Evaluating talent is difficult and it’s no secret that players sometimes fall through the cracks.
With the way Henry played this past season, his draft stock surprises me. With his size and his ability to penetrate the backfield, he has a promising NFL future, one just wonders, had he stayed at Michigan, for one more season, could he have been a second or even a first-round pick in next year’s NFL draft?
Sometimes the money offered by the NFL is too hard to pass up, but it appears that Henry ultimately left money on the table by leaving early and not using his senior season to increase his draft stock.
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Even without Henry, Michigan is going to be stout on the defensive line, so it’s not as if the Wolverines will be hurting with him gone. And as I said, I believe Henry is going to make an impact at the NFL level, it’s just a shame to see a player with so much talent, getting projected later than expected, when he could have he stayed one more season and solidified his status as an early-round prospect.