Tag: LaDarius Henderson

2024 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks, wide receivers dominate first five picks

Mock draft season is in full swing, and with Top 30 visits starting to increase, we’re looking at an updated first round mock for all 32 NFL teams.

The 2024 salary cap is set at $255.4 million.

The Ravens will look drastically different on both sides of the football field after undergoing massive changes in player personnel and the coaching staff.

Eric DeCosta started the off-season with urgency, signing Justin Madubuike, one of the league’s best defensive linemen, to an extension. After inking Madubuike to a deal, Baltimore landed Derrick Henry for two years and $16 million.

However, the Ravens suffered significant free-agent losses. Patrick Queen (Steelers), Geno Stone (Bengals), and Gus Edwards (Chargers) were among eight free agents to sign elsewhere. Baltimore also traded Morgan Moses to the Jets and released Tyus Bowser in a cost-cutting move.

With the second wave of free agency set to begin, we’re reviewing an updated first-round mock draft.

2024 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks, wide receivers dominate first five picks

Mock draft season is in full swing, and with Top 30 visits starting to increase, we’re looking at an updated two round mock for all 32 NFL teams.

With the first wave of NFL free agency over, all eyes around the league will turn toward pro days and one final month-long push toward April’s NFL draft.

Philadelphia has needs, but after a solid start to the free agency process, the first-round pick (No. 22) could be about nagging the best player available or a potential building block in the trenches.

Mock draft season is in full swing, and with Top 30 visits starting to increase, we’re looking at an updated two-round mock for all 32 NFL teams.

2024 Eagles mock draft roundup: Philadelphia reloads at cornerback position

With Top 30 visits starting to increase, we’re looking at an updated mock draft roundup for Philadelphia at pick No. 22.

With the first wave of NFL free agency over, all eyes around the league will turn toward pro days and one final month-long push toward April’s NFL draft.

Philadelphia has needs, but after a strong start to the free agency process, the first-round pick (No. 22) could be about nagging the best player available or a potential building block in the trenches.

Mock draft season is in full swing, and most draft experts and pundits believe the Eagles will reshape the secondary by targeting a cornerback.

With Top 30 visits starting to increase, we’re looking at an updated mock draft roundup for Philadelphia at pick No. 22.

2024 Ravens mock draft roundup: Baltimore reloads at offensive tackle

We’re looking at the updated mock draft roundup for Baltimore as the Ravens rebuild the offensive line

With the first wave of NFL free agency over, all eyes around the league will turn toward pro days and one final month-long push toward April’s NFL draft.

Baltimore has needs, but after a solid start to the free agency process, the first-round pick (No. 30) could be about nagging the best player available or a potential building block in the trenches.

Mock draft season is in full swing, and most draft experts and pundits believe the Ravens are set for a rebuild in the trenches.

With the Top 30 visits increasing, we’re looking for updated options for Baltimore at pick No. 30.

Lone year at Michigan provided so much for Ladarius Henderson

Heading toward the 2024 NFL Draft, former Arizona State and Michigan offensive lineman Ladarius Henderson spoke about his lone year in Ann Arbor.

Leading up to the cutoff for declaring for the 2023 NFL Draft, there were a lot of thoughts that former Arizona State offensive lineman Ladarius Henderson would test his talent on the highest levels and opt for the NFL. Not many people would have blamed him. At the time, Henderson was a 29-game starter for the Sun Devils with experience both at offensive tackle and offensive guard. That experience, along with his long arms (35 inches) and natural athleticism, are huge sells for the evaluators on the next level.

Add in the fact that Arizona State was amidst a coaching transition, and coming off of a 3-9 season, it was understandable if it was time. For Henderson, he didn’t want to end his college career that way. He wanted to play to his potential and showcase his skills on the biggest stage. 

“Right after the season before I got to Michigan, I was at a crossroads,” Henderson explained. “Do I declare for the draft or do I go back to college? In my mind, it was either going to declare for the draft or go to Michigan. There was no other option. I wasn’t going to be entertaining the amount of new dollars I could’ve got somewhere else because there were numbers, great numbers, but I knew I had one year to boost my draft stock as much as I can. I had one year to do what I want to do and put it and close the book on this college career. 

“So I wanted to go play with the best offensive line and they have just come off of winning two Joe Moore Awards,” Henderson continued. “So I wanted to play for the best offensive line coach and I wanted to be on a national stage because in the Pac-12, you feel like nobody’s watching that at 9 PM or West Coast time. You play games like the game versus Ohio State and the whole world is watching. That was a new feeling for me and I love that.” 

In the age of the Transfer Portal, student athletes are given options to find a better fit and different situations. For some, they flourish. For others, it doesn’t work out. Henderson is definitely one of the success stories. 

“The Transfer Portal definitely helped me,” he stated. “Obviously the relationship with Coach (Sherrone) Moore, being able to go to Michigan and start for a National Championship team. I know the portal is a great opportunity for players now because you get to weigh your options and see what the best case scenario is for your future. You can weigh everything that’s involved there.”

Looking back at the lone year at Michigan, it provided Henderson with a lot, both professionally and personally. From a football perspective, he got to prove himself on the highest level. Henderson also got the chance to showcase his abilities at left tackle after playing the last couple of seasons inside. That versatility should be a big help on the next level.

“I think it helps me a ton, which is part of the reason why I wanted to come to Michigan,” said Henderson. “I knew Coach Moore wanted me to play left tackle and I played it as a freshman, but nobody really cares what I did as a freshman. So now they’ll know for sure that I am position flexible. It means a ton just to be able to even switch those positions in game and understand the technique needed to play those different positions because they’re very different.”

Then from a personal level, Henderson was a part of history. That lone season will be one to remember forever. He will have a chance to look back one day and know he was a part of something special.

“Man, it’s surreal,” explained Henderson. “It’s obviously super cool because I have a ton of things I can tell my kids someday when I have kids and they’ll think I was way cooler than I actually am. But it is awesome to be a part of history, legit making history in every facet. It’s amazing just to win a National Championship, break this record and hopefully we can break the draft record with the amount of guys we hope to get drafted. Honestly, man, it is amazing.”

We are inching closer and closer to the 2024 NFL Draft kicking off at the end of April. Henderson is very likely to hear his name called, which he owes a lot to his talents as a player, the quality and character he brings as a man, and what that year at Michigan provided. 

Get more Michigan coverage on Wolverines Wire

Unpacking Future Packers: No. 85, Michigan OL LaDarius Henderson

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. 

7-round mock draft 1.0 as we kick off the Ravens 2024 NFL offseason

The Baltimore Ravens are retooling and we’ve unveiled are first 2024 NFL Mock draft of the offseason and after the Senior Bowl

The Ravens are looking to regroup after exiting the playoffs via a disastrous 17-10 loss to the Chiefs in the AFC title game.

Baltimore is currently 20th in the NFL in cap space, with $7.3 million available, and there will be critical decisions regarding several vital contributors and two All-Pros. And they’re spending about $120+ million plus on the offensive side of the football.

Baltimore also has 29 players scheduled to hit free agency, and some tough decisions will be made regarding who returns to Baltimore.

With the Reese’s Senior Bowl complete and draft coverage set to begin, we’re looking at the Ravens Wire’s first seven-round mock draft of the offseason via PFF. 

List of National team offensive linemen at 2024 Senior Bowl

List of National team offensive linemen at 2024 Senior Bowl

As we continue getting a quick look at the Senior Bowl players this year, we now check out the offensive linemen for the National team. With offensive line a major need for the Jets this offseason, this group could be heavily focused on by general manager Joe Douglas and company. A good week in Mobile for these guys will go a long way toward deciding where and when they will ultimately get drafted.

Included in this group is a name already tagged as potential option at No. 10 for the Jets, Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga. He has a chance to really stand out this week and solidify his standing among the top offensive tackles in this class.

Coaching the National team offensive line this year are Chris Cook of the Cardinals and Jim Dray of the Bears.

Key Michigan football starter declares for NFL draft

He’s gonna ball out at the next level. #GoBlue

A little more than a year ago, Michigan football received an underrated — but key — transfer joining the program.

Not many people knew of LaDarius Henderson outside of the southwest, but the Arizona State guard who hailed from Texas saw an opportunity with the Wolverines offensive line. He committed to play in Ann Arbor in December 2022 and was slotted to play one of the offensive tackle positions.

But Henderson had unanticipated competition. Myles Hinton also transferred into the program after starting his career at Stanford, and he initially won the right tackle job while Kareem Barnhart took the left. Henderson played sparingly, but he bided his time and after some retooling, ended up as the starting left tackle.

Now he’s a national champion, and he has decided to try his hand in the pro ranks, announcing for the NFL draft.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2AgiqROB4k/?igsh=MWxpMXNyOWllNzM2aQ==

Henderson did not have any eligibility remaining. With his departure, the maize and blue will likely look at one of many internal options to fill his role in 2024.

J.J. McCarthy has awesome, jaw-dropping custom Rose Bowl cleats

These are 🔥!!! #GoBlue 🌹

J.J. McCarthy knows what time it is.

With Michigan football heading to Los Angeles this week to prepare for the College Football Playoff semifinal in the Rose Bowl, the Wolverines quarterback is making sure he’ll be playing in style against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Unlike the last time that Michigan played in Pasadena in 2007, we’ve seen a big uptick in players expressing themselves through accessories. In the era of name, image and likeness, you’d expect nothing less. With the customized Jordan brand cleats McCarthy intends to wear for the Jan. 1 game, he’ll be taking it to the next level.

The designer of the custom cleats has been quite prolific in football spaces, and you can be assured others in the Michigan football family will have custom cleats as well. Jada Kitna Henderson, who has turned this into a full-time job, is not only the daughter of former Detroit Lions starting quarterback Jon Kitna but is also the wife of Wolverines starting left tackle LaDarius Hendeson. She’s made a name for herself designing custom cleats not just in the college ranks, but in the NFL, too.

While coaching quarterbacks for the Dallas Cowboys in 2019, Jon Kitna mentioned to Dak Prescott that his daughter was a talented artist and designer who had been customizing shoes.

The Cowboys’ franchise quarterback was interested.

So, when he was thinking about getting some Air Jordan 1 shoes customized for his friends as a Christmas gift, Prescott reached out to Kitna.

“We sent them to her and she blew it away,” Prescott said.

Fast forward to the summer of 2021, Prescott signed a deal with Jordan Brand. That meant wearing various Air Jordan cleats during the upcoming Cowboys’ season.

“Because it was coming off COVID, we really couldn’t get the supply and the colorways in on time,” Prescott said. “So, I had just a bunch of plain whites and plain blacks. I’d send them to her, we’d come up with designs and colors and she nailed it.”

And that’s when customizing shoes and cleats began going from a hobby to a full-time job for Jada Kitna Henderson. After completing multiple pairs for Prescott, she posted photos on social media. And there were doubters.

J.J. McCarthy and the Michigan Wolverines will face Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 2024, at 5 p.m. EST. The game is scheduled to be carried on the ESPN family of networks with multiple viewing options.