New York Giants Draft Prospect Profile: LB Daiyan Henley

Nick takes a look at an early Day 3 prospect at linebacker.

Author:
Nick Falato
Publish date:
Apr 24, 2023 12:00 PM EDT

In this story:

Daiyan Henley, LB

Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 230 lbs* (at Pro Day)
Class: 6th-Year-Senior
School: Washington State
Age: 23 (born 11/18/1999)

Combine Measurements

Arm length: 33”
Hand size: 9 ½”
40-yard-dash: 4:54
10-yard-split: 1.58
Vertical jump: 37 ½”* (at Pro Day)
Broad jump: 10’5”
Bench press: 19* (at Pro Day)

A former two-star recruit out of Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles, California, where he was the 380th Californian recruit in the 2017 cycle. Henley was Co-MVP of the Coliseum League as a junior and was incredibly versatile in high school - he played defensive end, safety, wide receiver, quarterback, and kicker. He initially attended the University of Nevada, where he played wide receiver.

Notables

Recorded 17 catches on 32 targets for three touchdowns in 2017 & 2018 at the University of Nevada as a WR. Henley started playing nickel in 2018 as a sophomore and then moved to full-time safety in 2019 before suffering a season-ending injury that allowed him to red-shirt.

In 2020, Henley moved to linebacker and recorded 49 tackles in 9 games. He improved his game in 2021 at Nevada; he was Second Team All-MWC and led the team in tackles while tying for the interception lead among linebackers. He transferred to Washington State in 2022 and continued his full-time linebacking role - he did have one catch for 36 yards in 2022. [STATS]

In his lone season with Washington State, Henley was selected to the All-Pac 12 Second Team and was a Butkus Award Finalist - the first ever in Washington State’s history. Henley was an elite special teams player, and his upside remains high. He generated positive momentum by attending the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl and the Combine.

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Strengths

Smooth athlete with excellent speed and twitch
Muscular lean build with excellent acceleration and change of direction skills
Excellent closing burst with good violence and pop at the point of contact
Run & Chase, quick downhill linebacker with excellent pursuit
Excellent lateral agility and build
Massive coverage upside - PBU on 1st & GOAL vs. Dalton Kincaid Q2, 0:29, Utah
Several interceptions dropping to depth in zone coverage w/ Nevada
Played in zone-heavy defenses - skills translate to man coverage

Did have man coverage interception vs. Idaho to end the game

Not always in position vs. run, but better eyes/diagnosing for a new linebacker
Did a beautiful job slipping crack block vs. crack toss on 3rd & 3 vs. Wisconsin Q2, 0:32, a 1-yard loss
Had 18 pressures and 4 sacks in 2022 - gets skinny well with solid timing
Hustle for days - speed drew several offensive holding penalties
New to linebacker - seems coachable - played several positions throughout college
Elite special teams player

Weaknesses

Undersized and slightly underweight
Only 15 missed tackles over the last two seasons, but his tackling attempts can get wild/high
If slow to react, IOL eliminated him/pinned him to the back of blockers - can use length/AA better
Sometimes finds himself on the wrong side of blocks
Allows play side guards to cut his angle off when on back side
Can overpursue and lose gap integrity

Summary

Daiyan Henley is a rangy sideline-to-sideline linebacker with desired athletic traits to thrive in coverage while having the quick trigger to penetrate for TFLs or pressures vs. the pass. Sometimes it takes him a split-second too long to realize what is happening, but I was impressed with his processing for a player who moved positions as often as he did. There is a lot of potential growth with a player like Henley.

Henley has only played linebacker for two years. He does find himself on the wrong side of blocks at times. When reading, he sometimes allowed IOL to get into his chest. However, he’s been able to attack downhill and make plays as a backside pursuit defender. His floor is a special teams ace. His ceiling is a full-time starter and an excellent asset for a defense that runs a lot of sub-packages. Wink Martindale would love a player like Henley, and the Giants did have him in for a Top-30 visit.

GRADE: 6.24