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Portal In: LaDarius Henderson Comment Count

Brian December 6th, 2022 at 1:42 PM

Yesterday, the portal took. Bad portal. Today, the portal gives:

All hail portal.

Henderson started at left tackle as a true freshman in 2019 (at 17!), played sparingly during the COVID year, then moved to left guard in 2021. He was named a captain this year. He missed a big chunk of this year with a finger injury. PFF OL grading is weird, granted, but it's better than nothing. FWIW, they had him as a stronger pass blocker (averaged a 76 the past two years) than a run blocker (65). This does not mean he is a finesse player:

Henderson was high on NFL draft radars to the point where people are calling his decision to stay in college football a "shock."

[After THE JUMP: pro scouting and some what does it mean]

Pro Football Network's latest mock draft has him as a late first-rounder:

31) Buffalo Bills: LaDarius Henderson, G, Arizona State

Rodger Saffold gives the Bills a short-term boost at guard, but they could use a succession plan behind him. If you’re looking for a guard with tools to develop, you can’t do much better than Arizona State’s LaDarius Henderson. Henderson is around 6’5″, 310 pounds, with arms over 35″, and he explodes off the line. He can struggle with pad level at times, but his athleticism is eye-catching, and his length provides a conduit for elite power.

More from them:

Henderson is one of the most exciting 2023 NFL Draft iOL prospects on tape, and he also has one of the most intriguing backgrounds in the class. Despite being a senior, Henderson will be just 21 years old through most of his rookie season, if he declares. …

There might not be an offensive guard prospect with a more exciting blend of physical tools than Henderson. At 6’5″, 310 pounds, Henderson has good height and above-average overall mass. But his chief defining measurable is his length. He has quantifiably elite length, with arms that measure safely over 35″ long.

Especially on the interior, Henderson’s length can be an overwhelming conduit for force at contact. But Henderson supplements that length with near-elite explosiveness and linear athleticism. He’s an extremely explosive athlete who surges off the line and into contact with dangerous momentum, and he also has the lateral explosiveness to get outside the 3-tech on running plays.

One of The Draft Network's analysts also likes him:

Picking up an NFL-level senior OL who still has some ramp-up since he's just 20 is nice portalling. Go portal.

Upshot? Well, Michigan knows they're losing Ryan Hayes, who's already announced as a Senior Bowl participant, and Olu Oluwatimi. Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter may have NFL options. If they get the guards back, Henderson is 6'5, 310" with long arms and NFL athleticism. He could certainly compete at tackle even if he's a guard at the next level. Plenty of NFL guards were excellent college tackles. If one of them leaves that looks like a plug-and-play situation.

Meanwhile Gio El-Hadi, Trente Jones, and Jeff Persi all started games this year and performed decently well, so unless the portal starts taking again Michigan should have another deep and good OL in 2023.

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