LaDarius Henderson selected by the Houston Texans
With the 249th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans have selected former Michigan offensive lineman LaDarius Henderson. Henderson will head to the NFL after one season in Ann Arbor, in which he helped the Wolverines win the national championship.
Henderson, a former three-star recruit from Waxahachie, Texas, committed to the Arizona State Sun Devils in June 2018.
With the Sun Devils, Henderson saw immediate playing time. He started 10 games at left tackle for ASU as a freshman in 2019. He then went on to start in 23 consecutive games over the next three seasons before he went down with an injury against Washington in 2022.
As a fifth-year senior in 2023, Henderson was part of Michigan's dominant offensive line that allowed it to win the national championship. Henderson appeared in 14 games for Michigan in 2023 with 10 starts at left tackle.
He finished the year as an All-Big Ten First Team selection by the coaches and a Second Team choice by the media.
At 6-foot-4, 309 pounds, Henderson features good size for an offensive lineman, and he's one of the most experienced linemen coming out of the college ranks in this class.
"Henderson was the starting left tackle on Michigan's 2023 national championship team," NFL Scout Brandon Thorn wrote for Bleacher Report. "He has broad shoulders with a high-cut lower half, very good arm length, mediocre athletic ability and solid power."
"Henderson has flashed the ability to flip his hips and seal slip/shed attempts across his face on angle-drive blocks, but for the most part, he struggles adjusting his aiming points and routinely gets his face crossed. He also struggles to align targets when climbing off combo-blocks due to his erratic timing and angles."
"In pass protection, Henderson was largely protected by Michigan's run-heavy, play-action based system. He did his best work using jump sets against tight alignments, where he could close space right away and blot them out. On the few dropback passing situations he had per game, he regularly overset, was late redirecting and lacked the range to protect the corner."
"Overall, Henderson has the upper-body strength, length and run-blocking skill to compete in the NFL for a backup role at guard in a downhill scheme predicated on inside zone, duo and gap concepts. But his shaky balance and mediocre recovery skills will make it difficult for him to stick in the NFL long-term."
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