Up next in the Unpacking Future Packers draft preview series is Michigan offensive lineman LaDarius Henderson.
The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2024 NFL draft.
If the Green Bay Packers had to play a game tomorrow they’d roll out a starting offensive line (from left to right) of Rasheed Walker, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Sean Rhyan and Zach Tom. Not a bad group. There just isn’t a ton of quality or proven depth behind that starting five.
A year after not drafting an offensive lineman for the first time during his tenure, it’s a safe bet that Brian Gutekunst will address the offensive line in the 2024 NFL Draft. A player that he could target is LaDarius Henderson. The Michigan offensive lineman checks in at No. 85 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.
Henderson, an Arizona State transfer finished his lone season at Ann Arbor with 10 starts at left tackle. During his four seasons at Arizona State, Henderson started 19 games at left guard and 10 games at left tackle, while also taking snaps at right guard and right tackle.
“Henderson had some issues in pass protection at different points, but him entering the starting lineup at the beginning of the Big Ten season was a big, underrated development along the way during Michigan’s national championship run,” Clayton Sayfie, a Michigan staff writer for TheWolverine.com, said. “He provided stability at left tackle, allowing Karsen Barnhart to swing over to right tackle and placed Myles Hinton, who struggled, on the bench.”
Henderson offers four-position versatility. The only spot along the offensive line that he didn’t take snaps at during his collegiate career is center. On top of his versatility, Henderson has a high football IQ and seems to have a heightened sense of what’s going on around him.
“Henderson doesn’t have the athletic ability that jumps off the screen, but he’s athletic enough and is very smart,” Sayfie said. “As a freshman at Arizona State in 2019, Henderson was teaching veterans the Sun Devils’ playbook. That’s how quickly he picked it up. He lived with quarterbacks during his time in Tempe, which helped advance his knowledge of the game.”
Whoa impressive wingspan. Henderson is a long offensive lineman, standing at 6-4 with over 34-inch arms. He uses those long limbs to get into the chest of the man across from him and control them. Henderson has agile feet and can recover quickly if he’s beaten off the snap. Henderson has good short-area quickness and could be best served to kick inside to guard.
“Henderson can have some issues against good pass rushers when they use power moves,” Sayfie said. “That was shown during the season and during Senior Bowl practices. However, those problems mostly occurred when he played tackle, and I believe he’ll be a guard at the next level. He’s a very good pass blocker for a guard, and him playing tackle at Michigan — where he earned first-team All-Big Ten recognition — is actually a positive and shows that he is athletic enough to hang on the interior of the line at the next level.”
Henderson fires off the snap and shows adequate movement skills. The Arizona State transfer is powerful at the point of attack and plays with good leverage.
Fit with the Packers
With the Packers in need of depth at both tackle and guard, Henderson would be an ideal pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He offers four-position versatility, he’s a cerebral player and he has outstanding length.
“I like his versatility, but again, I strongly believe he’ll be a guard in the NFL,” Sayfie said. “I’d take Henderson in the draft because of the talent we’ve mentioned, but also his personality. The 6-4, 315-pounder was one of the most articulate and charismatic individuals on Michigan’s 2023 team that had dozens of players who possessed those two attributes. He was a captain at Arizona State in 2022, has loads of experience at multiple positions, and thrives when playing next to other great players.”
Who will be the swing tackle for the Packers? Who is the backup guard? Henderson could kill two birds with one stone and could be a target for Gutekunst on Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft.
