Daiyan Henley

Pos: Linebacker

School: Washington State

Ht. 6’1″ 

Wt. 230

Games Watched: Oregon, USC, 

One Liner: Rangy, athletic linebacker who wins with aggressive pursuit, high motor and plus strength

Strengths: 

  • Very Good athletic ability. Henley has solid short area quickness and is able to attack the offensive line and enter the backfield in the blink of an eye. His lateral agility is on full display when he transitions into zone coverages or when he blitzes the QB. Versatility is boosted by his long and short speed. 
  • Very good explosiveness. Henley can go sideline to sideline in pursuit and is driven by a ferocious motor. His burst of speed allows him to make plays on the ball in outside zones and stretch plays and attack gaps with speed and power. 
  • Very good motor. Henley brings effort and motor on just about every play and consistently involves himself in plays in the backfield and in coverage. 
  • Good ability to shed blocks. Henley has solid strength in his arms and upper body that allows him to stack and shed blocks against offensive lineman. His long arms allow him to make a play on the runner and evade blocks when he is unable to counter. 

Weaknesses:

  • Adequate ability to identify and key run plays. Henley wins with excellent motor and pursuit, but this comes to bite him in run plays where he attacks too soon and loses track of his gap assignment as a result. Room to grow here as he learns the position
  • Marginal instincts and keying ability in the pass plays. Henley lacks consistency in keys and diagnosing plays at their early stages, preventing him from being on time at the ball carrier consistently.

Overall Assessment: Daiyan Henley is still new to the position and has demonstrated sizable development with some notable production. His inexperience is evident as a processor, where he struggles to be on time and diagnose plays without attacking prematurely. This can be developed at the next level, and Henley’s athletic traits to be a man coverage linebacker at the next level bode well with the stage he is at in his development. His production at this point in his career points towards a high upside player that can contribute on special teams as well.

Scheme Fit: Even Front WILL who could develop into a MIKE with time

Pick Projection: Day 2

Grade: 6.35