Erin Henderson
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
One area of the NFL draft weekend that, in my opinion, still doesn't receive enough coverage is the signing of undrafted free agents. Lots of important players have been added after the draft ended. Some current NFL players who weren't drafted:
Tony Romo
Antonio Gates
FWP
Joshua Cribbs
Jake Delhomme
James Harrison
Atari, I can't stop a pass to save my life but I hit hard so Sulli loves me, Bigby
One of the greatest Viking players in my lifetime, John Randle, went undrafted back in 1990, when the draft was still 12 rounds long. Some current Vikings who weren't drafted include Heath Farwell, who the Vikings signed after the 2005 draft, Chris Kluwe, who was signed and cut by the Seahawks before signing with the Vikings and Anthony Herrera who signed on with the Vikings after the 2004 draft.
Here is this years class of Vikings UDFAs:
S Husain Abdullah, Washington State
DE Martail Burnett, Utah
DT Leger Douzable, Central Florida
S Marcus Griffin, Texas
LB Erin Henderson, Maryland
WR Nate Jones, Texas
CB Travis Key, Michigan State
LB Jeremy Leman, Illinois
OC Tim Mattran, Stanford
OT Drew Radovich, U.S.C.
WR Darius Reynaud, West Virginia
CB Brandon Sumrall, S. Mississippi
CB Marcus Walker, Oklahoma
QB Kyle Wright, Miami (Fla.)
RB Albert Young, Iowa
LB Mike Sherels, Minnesota
OG Pedro Sosa, Rutgers
OL Brandon Joyce, Illinois State
FB Tom Busch, Iowa (try out)
NFL Draft Countdown put out a list of their top 50 undrafted free agents immediately after the draft is over, here are how some of the new Vikings ranked on that list:
1. Erin Henderson, OLB, Maryland
6. Drew Radovich, OG, USC
22. Pedro Sosa, OT, Rutgers
23. Darius Reynaud, WR, West Virginia
27. Martail Burnett, DE, Utah
28. Jeremy Leman, ILB, Illinois
38. Marcus Griffin, S, Texas
40. Kyle Wright, QB, Miami (FL)
That’s seems like a pretty good set of additional rookies. If you put any stock in NFLDC's ability to rank/scout prospects, that is probably better than having 6 8th round picks (were the draft to be longer).
The Vikings may have added some more depth at the OL with the additions of Radovich and Sosa. Radovich was a solid starting guard for USC for the last few seasons and Sosa has been Rutgers' starting left tackle for the last three seasons.
The signing I am really intrigued by though, is of EJ Henderson's little brother Erin.
Erin went to Maryland as a QB and was redshirted as a freshman. That season he was switched to LB. In his redshirt freshman season he tore his ACL during fall practice and missed the entire season. In the very next season, 2006, he stepped into the Terps starting lineup and was eventually named a second-team all ACC linebacker. In 2007 he improved on that performance racking up 133 tackles in only 12 games (he missed one due to injury) which lead to his being named first-team all-ACC and one of 10 Butkis award semi-finalists.
He decided to forgo his final season at Maryland and declared himself eligible for the draft.
So, why didn't he get drafted?
If I had to guess, which I do, I'd say it was mostly a combination of two factors, his injury history and his uninspiring timed speed (4.7 40 at the combine).
NFL Draft countdown had him ranked 8th among eligible OLBs (2nd/3rd round talent) and nfldraftscout.com had him ranked 5th (69th overall).
Here is his scouting report from NFLDC:
Strengths:
Has good size and bulk...Real aggressive and plays with a nasty demeanor..Great instincts and awareness...Has decent range and does a nice job in pursuit...A big hitter and reliable tackler...Very good change of direction skills...Can hold his own in zone coverage...Versatile...Hard worker...Excellent intangibles...Nice bloodlines.
Weaknesses:
Has battled a number of injuries in college and durability is a huge concern...Plays too tall...Has trouble taking on and shedding blockers...Does not have elite speed or athleticism and looks stiff...Has to get stronger..Lacks fluid hips and has trouble matching up in coverage...Is not overly stout at the point...Upside may be limited.
Sounds pretty good to me. Henderson II definitely still has work to do to even make the roster, but I think he represents a great example of how to cheaply add quality depth… and under looked but important aspect of building a winning team. And who knows? Maybe he'll be starting next to his brother in a year or two?
Simple, Scottish, Indie Rock:
See, "weird" isn't one of my qualifications for "good."
Posted bySL__72 at 9:58 PM
Labels: 2008 NFL Draft order, Drew Radovich, Erin Henderson, Frightened Rabbit, My Backwards Walk, Pedro Sosa, The Modern Leper, Undrafted Free Agents
Yeah, I was pretty pumped about the Erin Henderson signing too, because EJ has really blossomed, and hopefully if Erin makes the team he'll spend a lot of time modeling after his big brother. What did you think about the Kyle Wright signing? He was supposed to be a superstar in college, was a semi-bust, and ended up going undrafted. At least a good gamble IMO. Also, how do you feel if you're Aaron Rodgers and your team takes two QBs in the draft, including one in the 2nd round?
I'm sure its a good/cheap gamble and from what I know of Wright I do like him a lot, but I think him ever making an NFL roster is a long shot at this point.
I wouldn't be too worried if I were him. The Packers were at the point where he was, I think, the only QB in the organization. I really like that pick for the Packers (well, not as a Vikings fan). Brohm represents a decent backup for now and a solid backup plan for Rodgers if he doesn't end up panning out. If they wait until he sucks for two years before trying to find a replacement they'd be screwed.
whos fwp?
"Fast" Willie Parker
I agree, and I understand that Kyle Wright probably has little chance of making the roster. What about JDB (John David Booty)? If we know anything it's that he's a winner. If we know anything else, it's that having Gus Frerotte in the teacher/sensai role is glorious
Booty does seem like the right kind of guy for the West Coast... but his 14 on the Wonderlic has me a little worried.
I'm going to laugh the first time I hear someone calling for him to play over TJ because he is smarter. The only public evidence about their intelligence that I know of is the Wonderlic, and TJ scored 5 higher.
Thanks for giving a shot out for my boy Atari "the hit man" Bigby! Holla at ya boy!