K.J. Henry DE/EDGE Clemson | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
K.J. Henry DE/EDGE Clemson
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| SUB-POSITION: VERSATILE DL | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 04/17/2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40 time: 4.63 seconds (90%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 26.2 DOB: 01/27/1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| SUB-POSITION: VERSATILE DL | |
| Last Updated: 04/17/2023 | |
| Draft Year: 2023 | |
| 40 time: 4.63 seconds (90%*) | |
| Age: 26.2 DOB: 01/27/1999 | |
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |
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| Overall Rating: | 83.6 / 100 | |
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| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
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79% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Tackling: |
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77% |
| Pass Rush: |
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83% |
| Run Defense: |
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77% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
4th
Overall Rank:
#105
Position rank:
#19
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| College Games: 57 College Snaps: 1722 | ||
ESPN RATING: 92/100
College Combine Results
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OVR Rank:
#5
Pos Rank:
#3
State Rank:
#1
College Combine Results
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247 RATING: 99/100
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| Ovr Rank: #14 Pos Rank: #3 | ||
Drafted: ROUND: 5 - Pick Number: 137 (WSH)
Draft Profile: Bio
K.J. Henry from West Forsyth High School was rated a 5-star recruit by ESPN and handed a 5-star grade by 247 Sports after playing both tight end and defensive end and winning the Defensive Player of the Year award. His first love however was basketball where he scored 1,156 points in 115 career games and always wanted to play it at college. After high school, Henry joined Clemson after being heavily recruited by pretty much every big school in the nation and only receiving basketball offers from lower-level schools.In 2018 as a freshman Henry in limited action played in just 4 games and played a total of 39 snaps for the Tigers. He recorded just 6 tackles and added 5 stops.
As a sophomore for the Tigers in 2019 Henry played in 15 games and took part in 349 snaps for the Tigers. He recorded just 8 tackles, and 8 assists while adding 6 stops. As a pass rusher, he chalked up 12 total pressures, and 8 QB hurries, 2 QB hits, and 2 sacks during the year.
In 2020 as a junior Henry played in 12 games and contributed on 386 snaps. He recorded 13 tackles, 5 assists while making 13 stops. As a pass rusher, he produced 16 total pressures, which included 8 QB hurries, 5 QB hits, and 3 sacks on the year.
In 2021 as a senior Henry logged playing time in 13 games and logged a total of 341 snaps for the Tigers. He also added 14 tackles, 4 assists, and 15 stops. As a pass rusher, he tallied 23 total pressures, which included 13 QB hurries, 5 QB hits, and 5 sacks on the season.
In 2022 as a fifth-year senior Henry logged playing time in 13 games and a total of 607 snaps for the Tigers. He also added 30 tackles, 11 assists, and 21 stops. As a pass rusher, he tallied a huge 50 total pressures, which included 31 QB hurries, 14 QB hits, and 5 sacks on the season.
Honors & awards
- 2022 third-team All-American selection by Pro Football Focus
- His 58 career games were the most ever by a Clemson defensive end
- wo-time All-ACC Academic Team selection
- 2022 first-team honors from the AP, Phil Steele and Pro Football Focus
- High School - played in Under Armour All-American Game
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Has football in his blood - his dad was an All-American safety at Catawba, where he set a school record with 398 tackles
- Team captain and a real high character individual - a natural leader who always gives his all
- Has everything you look for in a 4-3 DE or a 3-4 OLB at 6-4 and 250lbs and running a4.63 forty
- His hand use is excellent; he’s strong in the upper body and consistently swats away blockers.
- Henry has ideal length as an edge rusher, with room to add more weight onto his frame.
- Aggressive with good awareness to track the ball and attack. Tenacious, tough, competitive, and versatile.
- He has violent hands and consistently breaks away and disengages from blockers. He’s instinctive, reading, reacting, and locating the ball quickly, and finishing plays as an authoritative, wrap-up tackler.
- Smart player who takes good efficient angles to the ball carrier
- Great timing has batted multiple passes at the line
- Up until 2022 run defense and tackling were just average - upped his play in the run game and showed he has outstanding talent there as well
- Super quick off the snap - wins with an elite first step
- He has quickness in his hands and uses his length effectively.
- Henry has long arms and displays good power in his hands, which gives him the ability to slip off blocks. As a run defender, Henry has the speed to chase down ball carriers in pursuit.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- He lacks twitch as a pass rusher and lacks the elite feet and flexibility to threaten around the edge
- Henry doesn’t play with ideal physicality, often failing to set the edge as a run defender
- While Henry moves well laterally, he doesn’t always get there in pursuit.
- Doesn't bend much around the edge
- Considering his vast experience at a high level his pass-rushing skills are somewhat limited. Still space for a lot of development
- His counter moves are often not forthcoming and when he doesn't win with his first move he struggles
- Older prospect - currently 24
Scouting Report: Summary
K.J. Henry is a solid pro prospect. He's a high-character/effort individual with a constant motor, combined with excellent speed, nice size, and an outstanding body of work at the highest level in college football. Despite this, he's not athletically elite, and as a pass rusher, his skills are limited as are his counter moves.The former five-star recruit Henry has a high floor and we can't see a scenario where he doesn't have at least a decent NFL career, however, his upside is while relatively high it's not elite, and whether he can step up and produce serious sack numbers in the pro game is far from guaranteed. Currently, we expect Henry to be selected somewhere in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft.
K.J. Henry percentiles vs other Defensive Ends (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate K.J. Henry (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
119.3
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
47.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.