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Memphis running back Darrell Henderson is seemingly one of 30 prospects from the 2019 NFL Draft to meet with the Eagles on an official pre-draft visit in Philadelphia. Henderson posted the following image on his Instagram story:
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This isn’t the first time the Eagles have shown showing interest in Henderson. Duce Staley previously worked him out at the Memphis pro day. Philly still has a need for a dynamic, pass-catching running back after trading for Jordan Howard.
Henderson boasts a strong track record of production. His 431 rushing attempts went for 3,545 yards (bonkers 8.2 yards per carry) and 36 touchdowns. He also logged 63 receptions for 758 yards and eight scores.
BGN’s Michael Kist has Henderson ranked as his third best running back in this year’s class.
It’s hard to ignore Henderson when he averaged 8.2 yards per carry on 431 carries. That’s mind-blowing efficiency. As a junior he found the end zone 25 times. My personal statistician tells me that’s a lot. Henderson’s best trait is his ability to chain together hard angle cuts while maintaining speed. He’s got sweet feet and accelerates smoothly through and after changes of direction. Henderson is super elusive in the open field and gives filling safeties fits. This happened to the poor safeties at UCF multiple times. There are clear areas to develop with Henderson. Patience and decision-making on inside runs remain a weakness, but not a glaring one. I don’t believe his finishing will get much better from a pure power stand-point but he does well to slither for extra yards. There’s also room to develop as a receiver as he was mostly used on low average depth of target routes. On a positive note, after the catch he works well in space and will be exciting in the screen game. Summary: Henderson can be an immediate contributor as a “1a” with tools to develop as a receiver. Grade: 68.9 of 100 (Late Round 2)
It wouldn’t be shocking to see the Eagles draft Henderson with one of their two second-round picks. His game could be a real complement to what Howard provides as a bigger, more powerful runner. As I previously wrote:
Pro Football Focus notes that Henderson had a whopping 1,321 yards after contact in 2018. That came out to 6.17 yards after contact per attempt, which is just ridiculous. It’d sure be great for the Eagles to have a back who can actually make defenders miss and generate yardage on his own instead of everything having to always be blocked up perfectly.
Scouting report below via NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. I think you’ll like Henderson’s listed pro comparison ... Tevin Coleman.
He checks in slightly undersized, doesn’t have great vision and runs with a narrow base that makes him easier to tackle, but so far, those concerns haven’t slowed him one bit. Big-play production is impossible to ignore, but his running style makes him best-suited to a complementary slasher role in a spread-based attack. In basketball, Henderson would be the explosive sixth man with the ability to swing certain games in your favor if he catches fire. On the ground or out of the backfield, Henderson can catch fire.
Howard and Henderson as the Eagles’ thunder and lightning in 2019. I could get down with it.
Highlights video:
Spider graph via Mockdraftable:
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Complete list of known Philadelphia Eagles draft visits
Memphis RB Darrell Henderson
Ohio State WR Parris Campbell - [Click here]
Clemson DT Christian Wilkins - [Click here]
Louisiana Tech DE Jaylon Ferguson - [Click here]
UCF DT Trysten Hill - [Click here]
Arizona State WR N’Keal Harry - [Click here]
Alabama RB Josh Jacobs - [Click here]
Georgia CB Deandre Baker - [Click here]
Mississippi State DE Montez Sweat - [Click here]
Virginia S Juan Thornhill - [Click here]
Houston CB Isaiah Johnson - [Click here]
Houston DT Ed Oliver - [Click here]
Maryland S Darnell Savage (Local) - [Click here]
Boston College OL Chris Lindstrom - [Click here]
Oklahoma OT Cody Ford - [Click here]
Ole Miss WR A.J. Brown - [Click here]
Penn State CB Amani Oruwariye - [Click here]
Arkansas G/C Hjalte Froholdt - [Click here]
TCU DE L.J. Collier - [Click here]
Old Dominion DE Oshane Ximines - [Click here]
Michigan RB Karan Higdon - [Click here]
Florida S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson - [Click here]
Alabama State OT Tytus Howard - [Click here]