Nice Eric Henderson Profile

[WretchedOne]

http://www.nfldraftalmanac.com/index.php?c=37&a=380

Strengths: Quick and disruptive off the edge, Henderson is a relentless pass rusher who plays with an overheated motor. He comes off the ball with an excellent anticipation of the snap. He is a well rounded athlete, with above average speed, quickness, and agility. A well rounded pass rusher who will set up offensive tackles with double moves and feints. Uses his short stature to get underneath larger offensive tackles and knock them off balance with a short burst of power in his hands. Henderson closes quickly on the quarterback once he has rounded the corner. In the open field, he does an excellent job of locating the ball carrier and making plays in pursuit. Hits harder and does not miss tackles frequently. A mature young man whose endured much in his personal life, including the devestation of his home in Louisiana.

And we took this guy as a UDFA....He's a PLAYER.

Weaknesses: Lacks prototypical stature for a defensive end prospect. He does not have the lower body strength to anchor against the run at the point of attack. Henderson has suffered numerous injuries through his career, which have prevented him from being the dominant force he could be. Like a lot of defensive end prospects, lacks the 4.5 type speed typically associated with turning the corner against NFL offensive tackles.

Injuries are the only thing that hinders him, he has no playing limitations, no character concerns. This guy is a PLAYER who needs to stay healthy, thats it. He was originally a 3rd round prospect who could have been a 1st rounder had he not suffered so many injuries in college...and we took him as a UDFA....

Overall: An explosive pass rusher whose career was limited by injury, Eric Henderson is a tough, mature prospect with great potential. However, because he struggles to stay healthy, he would be best suited as a rotational pass rusher. If he can stay durable, though, he could be a very good second tier weak side defender at the next level. Henderson will likely go in the third or fourth round on Draft Day.

The Bengals had a lot of sucess with another college player riddled with injuries...know his name?

Anthony Munoz

[HoosierCat]

You forgot this part...

Reminds you of: Aaron Schobel, Buffalo Bills

Ah, irony, the spice of life!

[kingwilly]

this was another of Wrtched's pimped players....good call on brining him in...I hope he passes his physical and can contribute...

[BengalPappaw]

I like his attitude!!

He shows good quickness and if healthy, he will show Rucker how to play DE.

Is he really a Bengal UDFA?

[Stripes]

Is he really a Bengal UDFA?

Indeed.

'Twas made official today.

[WretchedOne]

He's got a toe injury, A TOE INJURY. Nothing freakish like Wrights rotator cuff, Eric could very easily make an impact this year.

Hopefully he'll actually be healthy and could compete by TC.

[Stripes]

He's got a toe injury, A TOE INJURY. Nothing freakish like Wrights rotator cuff, Eric could very easily make an impact this year.

Hopefully he'll actually be healthy and could compete by TC.

I hope you're right, but if that were his only issue he'd have been drafted.

[WretchedOne]

I'm right about the toe injury..read it on yahoo or nlf.com..one of their profiles.

Eric has a bit of history with these "nagging" injures, thats why he went UD. A injury prone player who's injured....not good.

I'm hoping since these things are not "major" injures that he'll be able to overcome them with the attention he'll get by a NFL staff.

I mean, don't college's get 20 hrs/week to practice? The Bengals have 24/7 to work with Eric, really focus on healing, really focusing on strenthing those areas of his body, things such as that.

[schweinhart]

Keep up the pimping.

Henderson is going to put up one helluva fight this year. I'm seriously looking forward to watching him play again and show NFL left tackles what he showed D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Marcus McNeil and Eric Winston last year.

[WretchedOne]

Keep up the pimping.

Henderson is going to put up one helluva fight this year. I'm seriously looking forward to watching him play again and show NFL left tackles what he showed D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Marcus McNeil and Eric Winston last year.

See why i'm so excited, this guy ABUSED at least those 3 Day 1 OTs...

Maybe not "abused" per say, but was still productive agaisnt each one of those players.

[HoosierCat]

Eric has a bit of history with these "nagging" injures, thats why he went UD. A injury prone player who's injured....not good.

Yup. Teams have become incredibly leery of taking guys who are hurt. It killed Wilkerson last year, and Wright and Henderson this year. With only a handful of picks and continually escalating player costs, they have just become very risk-adverse. Ths the emphasis on character and injury issues.

Given that, I'm beginning to think it might be time to add a round or two back into the draft...

[WretchedOne]

Here is some video of Eric.

Find his name, click on the video camera on the left and watch.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/prospects?rank_type=12

[peteroseforpresident]

I'm right about the toe injury..read it on yahoo or nlf.com..one of their profiles.

Eric has a bit of history with these "nagging" injures, thats why he went UD. A injury prone player who's injured....not good.

I'm hoping since these things are not "major" injures that he'll be able to overcome them with the attention he'll get by a NFL staff.

I mean, don't college's get 20 hrs/week to practice? The Bengals have 24/7 to work with Eric, really focus on healing, really focusing on strenthing those areas of his body, things such as that.

better staff, better facilities in nfl equals a healthier player

Here is some video of Eric.

Find his name, click on the video camera on the left and watch.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/prospects?rank_type=12

Video on Rucker is there as well. but who cares, really.

[derekshank]

I've read several places that Henderson is terrible when it comes to anticipating the snap... possibly the most important aspect of pass-rushing. Hopefully he can learn though, because other than his injury history, there's not a lot of other downside (although those two negatives combined are certainly enough to explain why he went undrafted). It would definetly be nice to have a guy who can consistently get to the QB... so here's to hoping he pans out.

[derekshank]

I'm right about the toe injury..read it on yahoo or nlf.com..one of their profiles.

Eric has a bit of history with these "nagging" injures, thats why he went UD. A injury prone player who's injured....not good.

I'm hoping since these things are not "major" injures that he'll be able to overcome them with the attention he'll get by a NFL staff.

I mean, don't college's get 20 hrs/week to practice? The Bengals have 24/7 to work with Eric, really focus on healing, really focusing on strenthing those areas of his body, things such as that.

better staff, better facilities in nfl equals a healthier player

Here is some video of Eric.

Find his name, click on the video camera on the left and watch.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/prospects?rank_type=12

Video on Rucker is there as well. but who cares, really.

Video's on a lot of our players. Definetly check out the Peko one. It's a lot of fun because of his Michigan TD. Also... Reggie McNeal looks to be excellent at the fake hand-off. Could be handy for the trick play factor.

[redsbengalsbucks]

The video of Henderson and Rucker both look impressive. Hopefully one of them becomes a solid NFL player.

[WretchedOne]

Derek - Where have you seen that Eric does not anticipate well?

Just curious, I've seen the exact oppostie a number of places.

NFLDC:

Strengths:

Gets great penetration and wreaks havoc in opponents backfields...A good athlete...Is explosive and quick...Uses his hands well and knows how to shed blocks...Has a wide array of pass rush moves...Is very smart and instinctive...Solid versus the run game...Has a excellent motor...Team leader with top intangibles.

Draft Almanac: the original profile in the the thread.

http://www.nfldraftalmanac.com/index.php?c=37&a=380

Henderson is a relentless pass rusher who plays with an overheated motor. He comes off the ball with an excellent anticipation of the snap. He is a well rounded athlete, with above average speed, quickness, and agility. A well rounded pass rusher who will set up offensive tackles with double moves and feints. Uses his short stature to get underneath larger offensive tackles and knock them off balance with a short burst of power in his hands. Henderson closes quickly on the quarterback once he has rounded the corner. In the open field, he does an excellent job of locating the ball carrier and making plays in pursuit. Hits harder and does not miss tackles frequently. A mature young man whose endured much in his personal life, including the devestation of his home in Louisiana.

This is yahoo's profile from Frank Coyle, the guy who runs NFL Draft Scout.com, a very respected darft site.

http://nfldraft.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp...=scoutingreport

Pros: His up-field speed can change games with one play, and his combination of quickness and agility make him a factor on every snap. He shows rare first-step quickness, fine balance, agility and leverage as an edge rusher. He is quick to read blocks and diagnose plays and has natural instincts on the football field. He knows how to use his hands well to disengage from blockers and he has the burst of speed to close very quickly on the passer.

Cons: Must prove more durable at the NFL level after missing several games in recent seasons due to knee problems. Has marginal size as a defensive end. He struggles at the point of attack and against double teams.

Numbers: At the Combine, he checked in at 270 pounds and did 30 reps in the 225-pound bench press, but otherwise didn’t work out due to a toe injury. Over his final season, he started only eight games and totaled 28 tackles with 8.5 tackles for loss and six sacks.

Skinny: He has the ability to start early in the NFL after some improvement in his lower body strength and overall technique, but he should contribute early as a top situational pass rusher. Look for a 4-3 team like the Falcons, Cards or Lions to take him in the third round.

[derekshank]

Derek - Where have you seen that Eric does not anticipate well?

Just curious, I've seen the exact oppostie a number of places.

With th exception of the Coyle quote, nothing put in bold has to do with his the snap. It has to dowith his first step, which is actually quite different. He can have the quickest first step in the history of football, but it is negated if he is taking the step after the OT has already started moving.

This is where I read about him not anticipating the snap well.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2006/henderson_eric

WEAKNESSES

Henderson is consistently a beat late when moving at the snap and does not show the explosiveness off the ball to threaten the corner as a speed or edge rusher. Despite being a good athlete, he does not show the ability to plant and explode in the other direction to beat offensive tackles when rushing quarterback and does not finish consistently when he gets near the QB. If the offensive lineman can get a hold of him, he struggles to shed quick enough to get free and make plays. The biggest problem is that Henderson does not attack the play consistently and does not always hustle and chase hard on plays that go away from him.

Sounds like a difference of opinion between a couple different sites. He sounds like a very solid Undrafted FA... but if he was really everything that most of thes sites say about him, there is no way he would have gone undrafted. I hope he turns out to be a stud, but I remain skeptical at this point, and just hope to be proven wrong.

[WretchedOne]

Look at Ben Wilkerson from last year. Went undrafted because he blew out his knee. He didn't go undrafted becasue of a lack of talent, he was maybe the top center in last years draft.

Eric has this toe injury and a history the past 2 seasons of having injures. Injuries seemed to play a LARGE role in this years draft. I mean look at Rod Wright, went in the 7th round because of injury concerns.

I can't believe a guy who went up against Ferguson, McNeil, and Winston and was productive against each is going to have a real hard time in the NFL.

We'll just have to wait and see, but this guy is definately an upgrade over our current RDE

[derekshank]

Look at Ben Wilkerson from last year. Went undrafted because he blew out his knee. He didn't go undrafted becasue of a lack of talent, he was maybe the top center in last years draft.

Eric has this toe injury and a history the past 2 seasons of having injures. Inuries seem to play a LARGE role in this years draft. I mean look at Rod Wright. Went in the 7th round because of injury concerns.

I can't believe a guy who went up against Ferguson, McNeil, and Winston and productive against each is going to have a real hard time in the NFL.

We'll just have to wait and see, but this guy is definately an upgrade over our current RDE

We'll have to wait and see indeed... but I still don't buy it. With a guy as talented as the sites you posted pimp him out to be, a toe injury is going to keep him undrafted?

A knee injury for a center is a little different. Big time concern. Henderson played through his toe injury before getting it surgically repaired... so it is an apples to oranges comparison.

All I'm saying is if he is really as good as you say, he wouldn't be a Bengal, because he would have been drafted. Optimism is a good thing... but I'll be a bit more cautious with mine.

[WretchedOne]

He's got a history of these things.

Missed games in 2004 and 2005 because of injuries.

I'm trying to contact a guy who runs a website who is VERY knowlegeable and get his opinion, he says he watched a lot of GT games in 04 and 05 so...

(this is the same guy who has singled out Chris Perry, David Pollack and Jonathan Joseph)

Weird stuff happens.

Ma'ake Kemoeatu was a UDFA...

[derekshank]

He's got a history of these things.

Missed games in 2004 and 2005 because of injuries.

I'm trying to contact a guy who runs a website who is VERY knowlegeable and get his opinion, he says he watched a lot of GT games in 04 and 05 so...

(this is the same guy who has singled out Chris Perry, David Pollack and Jonathan Joseph)

Weird stuff happens.

Ma'ake Kemoeatu was a UDFA...

No doubt man. There are a ton of great players in the NFL that went undrafted. It's just to listen to some of the write-ups on him, he should have been a 1st rounder.

Once again... I'm not saying he sucks, and I'm not saying he won't pan out. I'm just saying that if you look at it objectively the most probable conclusion is that an undrafted rookie is probably not the stud DE that is going to come in and supplant our starters. Nothing more, nothing less.

I'm rooting for him to be a kind of stud that went undrafted purely because of a few injuries that won't follow him to the NFL. However, more likely than not, the negatives said about him on NFL.com had at least something to do with him going undrafted.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade... but I am trying to look at this realistically... and I'm guessing that there were more reasons than a toe injury that left him an undrafted FA.

[WretchedOne]

Well my guy didn't really give me a whole lot. Said he was best as a soph, then got the bug and hasnt' been as effective.

The one "hidden" thing that may be the cause of some Eric's problems is that he lost A LOT during Hurrican Katrina, and that had to have SOME effect on him.

He was born and raised in N.O.

And even before all that, he's still had a pretty hard life. I think I read somewhere that he was raised by his grandmother.

From his GT webpage.

"One of four recipients of the 2004 Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award, which is presented by the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics and honors student-athletes who have overcome great personal odds to achieve academic success while participating in intercollegiate athletics"

Ovecomes great odd in 2004, then has to go through ANOTHER disaster, I can't say I blame the guy really.

I mean, GT is asking him to play ball and his family has pretty much been destroyed, so if there was a "lack of focus" I think that a hurricane is a good enough excuse.

I just think Eric is a great player and a guy who's been a horrible victim of circumstance.

When you add his current and past injuries and his potential lack of focus due to losing a lot in Katrina, yeah....

Sorry I fight so much about Eric, I've been WANTING him for like 3 months and can't really believe that we got him. I am HIGHLY excited, I've done a ton of research on this kid and I know it's pretty stupid, but I just get that feeling about him.

I've learned to trust my gut, it rarely steers me in the wrong direction.

[WretchedOne]

Here is an article about what Eric went through.

http://www.roanoke.com/printer/printpage.aspx?arcID=33243

Henderson travels rough road

By Mark Berman

981-3125

Hurricane damage to his hometown of New Orleans is the latest in a string of woes for the Georgia Tech linebacker.

ATLANTA -- When Georgia Tech defensive end Eric Henderson saw on television how much Hurricane Katrina had devastated his hometown of New Orleans, he wept.

"I had headaches for days," Henderson said this week. "I was really stressing. ... It's just so sad, it hurts."

Henderson, who has earned All-ACC honors the past two seasons, still doesn't know what happened to 13 relatives from New Orleans -- four of his cousins and their families.

"They probably drifted off to Texas, where the majority of my family snuck off to," said Henderson, a fifth-year senior whose team visits Virginia Tech on Saturday. "But I still haven't heard a word from any of them. I just pray every night. That's really what's been on my mind."

The week the hurricane hit, Henderson didn't know what happened to his 21-year-old sister, Erica, who lives in Hammond, La. The ESPN announcers spoke of Henderson's worry during the telecast of the Yellow Jackets' Sept. 3 game at Auburn. One of Henderson's uncles, who had spoken with Erica, was watching the broadcast and phoned the Georgia Tech athletic department. Henderson learned at halftime that his sister was fine. After the game, he and his sister were finally able to speak

"It was a big relief," Henderson said.

Henderson, 22, is used to dealing with family woes. That's why he was one of four recipients last year of the Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award, which is given by the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics to athletes who have overcome great personal odds to attain academic success.

Henderson never knew his father. His mother died of cancer when he was 10 years old. She left behind Eric, Erica and James, who is now 20.

Before she died, Patricia Henderson tried to prepare her eldest child for what was going to happen. While Erica and James would be outside playing, Eric would be inside, listening to his mother. He told her he was going to kill himself when she died.

"She said, 'You're not going to kill yourself. You've got take care of your brother and sister,' " Henderson said.

Henderson is thankful for those mother-son talks. "She really taught me a lot about life within that short period of time," he said. "I really appreciate life and try to help others appreciate family and life because you never know what's going to happen."

The three children moved in with their maternal grandmother, Ulysses Henderson.

"It was hard for her to raise us," he said. "I knew I had to be the father figure."

But Henderson needed a father figure himself. He said he was "running the streets" after his mother died, "doing stuff that I know I had no business doing." He credits God for keeping him from getting in trouble with the law.

"He always looked over me," Henderson said. "He's put such wonderful people in my life to help me along the way."

In January of Henderson's senior year of high school, while he was trying to decide which football program to sign with, Ulysses Henderson died of kidney failure. She wasn't there to see him sign with Georgia Tech the following month.

"I know she knows in spirit, but I wanted her to really be there and see that," he said. "There were times when you're like, 'Man, not again, not again. You've got to be kidding me.' "

Henderson and his siblings lived with one of their mother's sisters after their grandmother died. That aunt has died since Henderson has been in college.

Henderson has started for the Yellow Jackets since he was a freshman. He made the All-ACC first team as a sophomore in 2003, when he had a league-high 11 sacks and a school-record 24 tackles for loss.

"I love to be down in the trenches," Henderson said. "I love to get nasty and physical."

Sidelined by injury for the first three games last season, Henderson wound up with 41 tackles and three sacks to earn a spot on the All-ACC second team. He ranks fifth in school history in career sacks (20) and is tied for second in career tackles for loss (52).

"He knows how to set up blockers," Yellow Jackets coach Chan Gailey said. "He's able to get so many one-on-one sacks."

Henderson missed last weekend's win over Connecticut with a sprained ankle and is questionable for Saturday. He practiced on a limited basis Wednesday and expects to play against the Hokies.

"He could affect the ballgame big-time," strong safety Chris Reis said. "He's a natural leader and he makes plays."

Henderson likes to fire up his teammates by talking trash.

"I'm The Man at that," he said. "I know that if I'm going to talk trash, I have to back myself up, and I'll get more out of myself. And the team also feeds off that."

If the No. 15 Yellow Jackets (3-0, 1-0 ACC) win Saturday, it would not be the only highlight of Henderson's year. Henderson, majoring in management with minors in marketing and finance, is on track to graduate in December. He will be the first member of his family with a college degree.

"That's just magnificent," he said. "There's a lot of stuff that I've dealt with mentally that I've really been able to overcome. I'm so thankful. I'm just so blessed, so, so, so blessed."

[Jet23]

He's got a history of these things.

Missed games in 2004 and 2005 because of injuries.

I'm trying to contact a guy who runs a website who is VERY knowlegeable and get his opinion, he says he watched a lot of GT games in 04 and 05 so...

(this is the same guy who has singled out Chris Perry, David Pollack and Jonathan Joseph)

Weird stuff happens.

Ma'ake Kemoeatu was a UDFA...

No doubt man. There are a ton of great players in the NFL that went undrafted. It's just to listen to some of the write-ups on him, he should have been a 1st rounder.

Once again... I'm not saying he sucks, and I'm not saying he won't pan out. I'm just saying that if you look at it objectively the most probable conclusion is that an undrafted rookie is probably not the stud DE that is going to come in and supplant our starters. Nothing more, nothing less.

I'm rooting for him to be a kind of stud that went undrafted purely because of a few injuries that won't follow him to the NFL. However, more likely than not, the negatives said about him on NFL.com had at least something to do with him going undrafted.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade... but I am trying to look at this realistically... and I'm guessing that there were more reasons than a toe injury that left him an undrafted FA.

Didn't toe injuries end the careers of guys like Jack Lambert and Billy Simms? Cronic or turf toe injuries are one of the worst injuries a football player can have. I'm not saying the toe injury was the reason he was not drafted, but a toe injury is as legitimate as any other injury IMO.