NFL Draft Profile: K.J. Henry, EDGE, Clemson Tigers
#5
Pos: EDGE
Ht: 6041
Wt: 251
Hand: 1000
Arm: 3300
Wing: 7900
40: 4.63
DOB: 1/27/1999
Hometown: Winston-Salem, NC
High School: West Forsyth
Eligibility: 2023
K.J. Henry
Clemson Tigers
One-Liners
Talented, athletic, springy 3-4 outside linebacker with potential positional flexibility but limited production in three years.
Evaluation:
Has excellent size and movement skills for the edge position. Uses a good cross chop move when speed rushing and turns his hips well when he can win to the corner. Flexibility and bend seem to be very easy for him, showing just how good of an athlete he is for his size. Squeezes the backside of zone runs well and has the strength and length to stack the front side as well. Plays with high effort and high motor on nearly all snaps. Comfortable in zone drops and makes good plays when chasing in space. Doesn’t have a reliable pass rush move outside of a cross chop and push-pull swim. Henry looks like a freak on the field but sometimes doesn’t consistently play with enough strength to win reps against Tight Ends that he should overpower. He can anchor when defending the run but his consistency again becomes an issue, being driven back by players who shouldn’t be able to overpower him. Only a 6 game career starter after being a highly touted recruit. Talented, athletic, springy 3-4 outside linebacker with potential positional flexibility but limited production in three years. K.J. Henry is easily one of the best all-around athletes every time he’s on a field, but he often has trouble flashing it. He can have a fantastic, high-effort sack chasing Ian Book down from the backside one play. Then be completely stymied by a tackle in his next rep. His toolbox as a pass rusher right now is too limited, only having the cross chop and push-pull as a secondary move. Right now, Henry finishes plays much better than he starts them, which is attributed to him not being able to beat tackles because he is too predictable. But this does show he has high effort. He tackles very well in space for a player his size and has some good zone drops. He also rushes out of a stand-up better than with his hand in the dirt. His first step and pass rush, in general, is very springy out of a stand-up position, and he has a good first step that is better when moving laterally especially. For the reason of Henry being a great space tackler on the edges and being able to play the run better than the pass, an NFL team may want to see him play SAM in a 4-3 scheme, and play a sort of hybrid edge rusher in a base nickel 2-4 scheme. Henry’s versatility could be the thing that springs him up draft boards if he can’t find a way to consistently rush the passer.
Grades
3rd Round
Background:
K.J. Henry is from Winston Salem, North Carolina and will be ready for 2022 to bolster Clemson’s defense. Ranked as the sixth player in the nation before Clemson and when he got to Clemson in 2018, he played in thirty nine snaps for the Tigers. In 2020 and 2021, he play time increased and his recognition increased as well where he had close to thirty tackles in 2021. In 2020, Henry earned a Sports Communication degree and a Master’s Degree in 2021 in Athletic Leadership.
