NFL Draft Profile: Arkansas Tight End Hunter Henry

Officially the "Best Tight End in the Nation", Hunter Henry has all the tools that an NFL GM and coach look for in the position. He earned the Mackey Award this past season while being the focus of every defensive backfield and many times a linebacker in his face at the line of scrimmage. He did not drop a single pass in 2015. Not one. And several of his receptions were clutch plays, converting 3rd downs on several receptions. The 4th and 25 miracle against Ole Miss sticks out but throughout his career Henry was able to get open and make plays in crucial moments.

All of it combines for a player expected to be a late 1st round or 2nd round pick.

Pro Day Results

40-yard dash: 4.66 seconds

Vertical: 31 1/2 inches

Broad jump: 9 feet, 5 inches

Short shuttle: 4.41 seconds

3-cone: 7.16 seconds

Bench: 21 reps of 225 pounds

Key Aspects Henry's Skillset:

There have been many comparisons between Hunter Henry's skillset and Rob Gronkowski.

Henry and Gronkowski are both in the 6'5 260 range with speed in the 4.6-4.7 range.

-Ability to work over the middle from various alignments. Inline, H-back/wing, slot, or split wide

-Enough speed to beat a linebacker in man coverage

-Strong hands, can catch in traffic and fight for jump ball throws

-Blocking in the run game against equal size defensive ends and smaller/quicker linebackers

-Creates personnel mismatches with smaller DBs and slower linebackers. Difficult to defend in red zone situations.

His ability to get open in key situations against tight coverage was an important part of the Arkansas passing game. In 2015 he was targeted over 20% of the time when Arkansas threw the ball and was as sure handed as any receiver in the Draft.

In the 2015 Season Henry was equally effective on all downs.

Whichever team pulls the lever on drafting Henry will be getting an all around tight end who can can excel in any offense.

His consistency as the quarterback's most reliable go-to third and long playmaker was proven over and over again. Yes, there were some shaky spots in run blocking early, but the team as a whole looked that way. The Arkansas offense asked him to block elite SEC defensive ends alone in many cases and he was able to hold ground.

As his junior season went along, the run blocking improved and at the next level that will be a minor accessory to what his job description encompasses. The results  and accolades speak for themselves of his time at Arkansas, and he looks to have all the tools to become a fixture of an NFL offense.