Tag: K.J. Henry

Commanders select Louisiana LB Andre Jones Jr. in 2023 NFL draft

The Commanders add another EDGE defender late in the NFL draft.

The Washington Commanders wrapped up their 2023 NFL draft class by selecting Louisiana linebacker Andre Jones Jr. at No. 233 overall.

Jones is a 6-foot-4, 248-pound Edge defender who played six seasons at Louisiana, starting his final four. Over the final two seasons of his college career, Jones recorded 111 tackles, including 18 for loss and 11.5 sacks.

While Jones’ numbers don’t jump off the page, he’s been a productive player throughout his college career, and at this point in the draft, he possesses the traits coaches look to develop. He’s tall and long and could be in a training camp battle to earn a roster spot for the Commanders.

Washington’s depth chart looks difficult at the moment with Chase Young, Montez Sweat, James Smith-Williams, Efe Obada, Casey Toohill and fellow rookie K.J. Henry in front of him, but Jones could be a candidate for the practice squad in 2023. Remember, Young, Sweat, Obada, Smith-Williams and Toohill are all free agents in 2024.

 

Instant analysis of Commanders picking K.J. Henry in the fifth round

What does he add to the team?

Anyone who follows the Washington Commanders knows that adding an Edge rusher was a priority in the 2023 NFL draft. While no one expected the Commanders to add a pass rusher in the first round, anything was possible from the second round and later.

After all, Washington’s starting defensive ends, Chase Young and Montez Sweat, are slated for unrestricted free agency in 2024. Additionally, reserve defensive ends James Smith-Williams, Efe Obada and Casey Toohill will all be free agents after the upcoming season.

So, in the fifth round, the Commanders made their first trade of the draft, moving up 13 spots in the fifth round to select Clemson defensive end K.J. Henry at No. 137 overall.

Henry played a lot at Clemson but was a rotational player in the early part of his college career due to Clemson’s outstanding defensive line depth. As a senior, he became a full-time starter and had his best season.

The 6-foot-4, 251-pound Henry ran the 40-yard dash in 4.61 seconds at the NFL combine and also recorded a time of 1.65 seconds in the 10-yard split.

Here’s Lance Zierlein of NFL.com’s scouting report on Henry:

Highly athletic edge defender with good size. Henry has upfield burst, but he tends to be a face-up rusher and will need to improve his hand usage for more effective corner turns. He can be dynamic when twisting and blitzing as a moveable piece around the defensive front and he does a nice job of setting up a buttery smooth inside rush that is often too quick for tackles. He can dart and disrupt as a one-gapper with his hand in the ground but has more trouble than expected in setting firm edges as a run defender. Henry’s strengths and weaknesses are well-defined, with the upside to become a starter.
This is an excellent, high-upside selection for Washington at this point in the draft.
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Full terms of Commanders trade with Bills to move up in the 5th round

Full terms of Washington’s trade with the Buffalo Bills.

The Washington Commanders have finally made a trade in the 2023 NFL draft. And, they moved up.

Washington moved up to the No. 137 overall selection in a trade with the Buffalo Bills. The Commanders sent the No. 150 and 215 overall selections back to Buffalo in return.

The No. 215 selection was Washington’s final compensatory selection it received when defensive tackle Tim Settle signed with, of all teams, the Buffalo Bills.

The Commanders used the No. 137 overall selection to take Clemson Edge rusher K.J. Henry.

Washington is back on the clock at No. 193 in the sixth round. The Commanders also have a selection remaining in the seventh round.

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Commanders select Clemson DE K.J. Henry in the 2023 NFL draft

The Commanders moved up and selected Clemson edge rusher K.J Henry in the fifth round.

After a trade with the Buffalo Bills, the Washington Commanders moved up 15 positions in the 2023 NFL draft to No. 137 overall to select Clemson defensive end, K.J. Henry.

Henry joins a Washington team that has its top-five defensive ends slated for free agency in 2024. Starters Montez Sweat and Chase Young, as well as reserves James Smith-Williams, Efe Obada and Casey Toohill, are all unrestricted free agents after the 2023 season.

After redshirting his first season in 2018, Henry was a rotational player on Clemson’s loaded defensive line for three seasons before becoming a full-time starter in 2022. It results in his best season, where he produced 51 tackles, including nine for loss and 3.5 sacks. He also defended six passes.

Henry was also a permanent team captain with high character, something that always matters to Washington head coach Ron Rivera.

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1 EDGE prospect for Colts in each round of NFL draft

Taking a look at 1 edge rusher prospect for the Colts in each round of the draft.

The Indianapolis Colts are just under two weeks away from the start of the 2023 NFL draft where they’ll be looking to add talent and depth to the roster.

While the edge rusher position isn’t high on the list of needs for the Colts, a team can never have too many pass rushers. At some point throughout the draft, we should expect general manager Chris Ballard to add some competition to the room even if it comes on Day 3.

With Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo going into their highly anticipated third seasons, the Colts also added Samson Ebukam to work in the LEO role as the Yannick Ngakoue replacement. They also brought back the versatile Tyquan Lewis, who again suffered a season-ending torn patellar tendon in 2022.

Following this series of articles, we’ve also looked at these positions:

We’ll be tracking the Colts’ reported interest in the 2023 draft class so be sure to keep up with latest updates via our tracker.

Here’s a look at one edge rusher prospect who fits the Colts in each round of the draft:

Breaking down ESPN’s 7-round mock draft for the Colts

Here’s a breakdown of ESPN’s 7-round mock draft for the Colts.

With the 2023 NFL draft just one month away, the mock drafts have only increased in volume, and the Indianapolis Colts are one of the teams setting the tone for the offseason’s biggest weekend.

ESPN’s Jordan Reid published a full seven-round mock draft going through all 259 picks, which means we now have the chance to break down the selections he made for Indy.

Reid’s collective haul for the Colts was impressive. The selections he made in the mock are very “Chris Ballard like” both in the value and the profiles of the prospects.

Here’s a look at the Colts’ haul from Reid’s full mock draft:

Giants stock up in latest 7-round Draft Wire mock

The New York Giants load up at several positions of need in the latest 7-round mock draft from our friends at Draft Wire.

The New York Giants have 10 selections in the upcoming NFL draft and after a successful foray into free agency, some of their needs have already been addressed.

In his latest seven-round mock draft, Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy has the Giants taking 10 very interesting players that should make their roster even better.

Clemson Tigers pro day: Trenton Simpson puts on an athletic show

Clemson Tigers pro day: LB Trenton Simpson puts on an athletic show as all 32 NFL teams watched 13 players work out

All 32 NFL teams made the short trek from Monday’s pro day circuit stop at South Carolina to the northwest corner of the state for Clemson’s athletic testing event. The Tigers have steadily churned out NFL talents over the last few years and the 2023 NFL draft will be no exception.

Many teams sent defensive coaches to Clemson’s pro day, while Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin was the only head coach in attendance. The Steelers also sent GM Omar Khan. They all got to see an impressive display from several of the 13 Tigers prospects.

Linebacker Trenton Simpson, as expected, put on quite an athletic show. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound LB showed off his explosiveness and agility in testing:

Short Shuttle 4.22
3 cone 6.89
Vertical 40.5”

Simpson clocked a 4.43 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and also nailed the interview podium portion in Indianapolis. He’s scheduled for a private visit with the Houston Texans on Wednesday. Simpson projects in the 25-50 overall range.

The consensus top Clemson prospect in 2023, EDGE Myles Murphy, did not work out due to a minor injury. Murphy, a potential top-10 overall pick, will hold a private workout in April for interested teams.

A third Clemson defender with some first-round buzz, DT Bryan Bresee, worked out for interested coaches. His combine testing was solid but not exceptional for a 298-pound attack-style DT.

EDGE K.J. Henry, who had an impressive week of action at the Senior Bowl, also continued to help his draft stock. Henry projects on Day 2 for a team that values power-to-speed on the edge.

Tight end Davis Allen caught the ball well. His workout was run by Bengals TE coach James Casey, a former NFL tight end of similar build himself.

Pro days aren’t normally critical for kickers, but BT Potter nailed a 55-yard field goal. At minimum, Potter helped raise himself up the rung of kickers who should get several calls immediately after the draft concludes. He rewrote the placekicker record books at Clemson.

Others who worked out:

LB Jesiah Carlton

QB Hunter Johnson

LB Keith Maguire

OL Jordan McFadden

WR Joseph Ngata

TE Luke Price

DT Jabriel Robinson

CB Elijah Rodgers

2023 NFL draft: Full pro day schedule

Clemson draft prospects rankings on the 2023 Consensus Big Board

Clemson should be well represented in the 2023 NFL draft. Here is a look at the seven Tigers listed on the 2023 Consensus Big Board and where they rank.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Football program are saying goodbye to some of its star players as they prepare for their futures and the 2023 NFL draft.

The 2022 NFL draft saw just two Tigers selected though the 2023 draft will undoubtedly be different. Payers such as Ruke Orhorhoro, Tyler Davis, and more may have announced their return to school, but that doesn’t mean Clemson won’t still be well-represented in this draft.

The website NFL Mock Draft Database creates a 2023 Consensus Big Board for the class using data compiled from 73 big boards across the football landscape. According to their big board, there are three Tigers with first-round grades. 

Here is a look at every Clemson player who appeared on this Consensus Big Board and where they fall in the rankings currently.

Updated 3/11

5 standouts for Chiefs from 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl

Our @Nicolas_Roesch names five standouts for the #Chiefs from the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl.

The 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl is in the books, and you can bet the Kansas City Chiefs’ scouting department watched with a keen eye. The Chiefs have drafted several players who have participated in the Senior Bowl over the last two years, including standout starting offensive linemen Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith. Last year they grabbed a pair of cornerbacks in Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson.

Let’s take a look at some players who shined in this game that could be a fit for K.C. come April’s draft: