The more I watch of this year’s class of linebackers entering the the NFL Draft, the more I like it. I think the Tennessee Titans are in a bit of a precarious position at linebacker, and I, for one, would not be surprised at all to see them invest an early-to-mid-round draft pick on one, especially if they’re unable to pay David Long, Jr.. So, when I went down to Mobile last week for the 2023 Senior Bowl with my main main Zach Lyons, I was eager to watch the linebackers play. One name in particular popped up on my radar and that was the product out of Washington State, Daiyan Henley.
Henley is projected to go anywhere from the 2nd round to the 4th, depending on who you ask. My man had a prolific season with the Cougars in 2022, tallying 106 total tackles, 12 of those going for a loss, four sacks, an interception, a pass deflected, three forced fumbles, and two fumbles recovered. Henley also had an interception returned for a touchdown, and a fumble recovered for a touchdown when he was with Nevada in 2021. The guy has the production of a pure play-maker at the position, and buddy let me tell you, seeing him last week affirmed that for me.
At the Senior Bowl, I was fixated on the guy. Not in the creepy way, y’know? Just in that “holy shit – is this guy really moving the way he’s moving?” kind of way. Instead of trying to compile my notes into some smooth coherent paragraph, allow me to just hit you with my raw notes as I took them from the stands at Hancock Whitney Stadium:
- Henley a smooth mover in the tennis ball drill.
- Getting work on punt coverage/special teams.
- Henley had a nice rep setting the edge vs. the run – it would’ve been a sick collision had tackling not been discouraged.
- Henley moves so well (referring to the drill where they run over those bags that are on the ground a couple feet apart from one another).
- Henley smooth hip turn and reset.
- Competitive individual drills (LBs vs. RBs) – Henley working around Thompson and through him.
- (Cam) Jones and Henley look tight in coverage.
- Henley tipped pass intended for (Chase) Brown.
- Special teams drills again: Henley has such a great release on special teams, engaging in the block and getting away to get down field.
- Henley with some good tracking on Evan Hull, quarterback went elsewhere with the ball.
- Henley drifted a bit too much, allowing (Camerun) Peoples to get open (this drill was really hard to decipher in terms of what the coaches were actually trying to track so I don’t hold this against him too much).
- Henley actively scanning the field
- Day 3: Good competition between Henley and Peoples – Henley beat him on a rep, but he got him back on the next try.
- Henley and (Ivan) Pace had nice PBUs working against the RBs.
- Team drills: Henley good at tracking RB
- Senior Bowl game: Henley active and tough in trying to rip out the ball
- Senior Bowl game: Henley recovers fumble
That’s a lot of raw information. I get it. So, if you want that smooth, coherent evaluation, let me go ahead and hit you with it after all: “Henley is a smooth mover as a rangy linebacker that adds value on special teams, he looks a little smaller, but still plays a physical game and showed potential in setting the edge during Senior Bowl practices. He has a fluid hip turn and reset, good twitch in beating RBs as a pass rusher, is good in coverage – breaking up an accurate pass intended for Chase Brown during Senior Bowl practices, drifts well with elite closing speed once the ball is in play, is an active field-scanner despite not seeming particularly quick to diagnose. His 6’0” 230lb frame looks a lot lighter than it really is, but a great all-around linebacker prospect.” This is from my 2023 NFL Draft Big Board, exclusively over on the SoBros Patreon.
All of this came from watching him practice and perform in the Senior Bowl game last week. But, I wanted to take a bit of a deeper dive into his production at Washington State. “Does the tape stack up?” I couldn’t help but wonder. So, I pieced together what I could find from the bowels of the internet, and I’d say that game action stacks up, but maybe in a different way.
He’s much more physical than I thought he’d be based on last week. Washington State used him as a pass rusher against Colorado State and he forced a fumble while routinely breaking through and causing mayhem in their backfield. You see his ability to close on the play and tackle, but it’s the fact that he’s constantly chasing the play that was so impressive to me. His recovered fumbles happened because he puts himself in an advantageous position to jump on a ball because he’s relentless in running the play down. I think his game action shows a guy who is a little more aggressive in run support than I would’ve initially thought, as he’s much more of a penetrator that can disrupt the backfield. I still come back to his athleticism, though – just take a look at where Henley lines up on this play against Idaho:
I mean, yeah….it’s Idaho….I get it. But, let’s see how this play turns out:
That’s right – it’s a 30-yard “bomb” that Henley undercuts the route on, leaps into the air, and comes down with the interception. I know this isn’t exactly the toughest competition he faced all season, but it’s important to remember that this is a linebacker we’re talking about here. This play showed a little bit of what I like most about Henley. He stuck with this receiver 30 yards down the field, recognized the play, and snatched it out of the air. Again….pure play-maker. But, what about physicality against the run? I gotchu, boo.
I liked Daiyan Henley a lot as a rangy, smooth mover at the linebacker position. While he had some great reps in the 1:1s vs. RBs at the Senior Bowl, I wanted to find that tenacity in games. Here's a gem of his I found against Utah: pic.twitter.com/qIo5qhBtDj
— Stoney Keeley (@StoneyKeeley) February 9, 2023
He had a PBU at the goal line in that Utah game as well that prevented a touchdown. I’ve seen and heard a few analysts point out Henley’s inability to diagnose quickly enough and getting washed out of a play because of it. That’s probably the biggest knock against him, and I saw that pop up a couple of times last week on plays when Camerun Peoples got open on him underneath, and when Payne Durham blocked him out of a play. But, I’ll say that from where I sat, the player I saw was a lot more consistent in diagnosis with just a couple of lapses in concentration here and there.
I don’t think he’s as much of a project as some have suggested he is. Henley looks like a really good all-around linebacker that has a few minor, and coachable, issues. He might not be a Week 1 starter. Hell, he might not even make all that big of an impact his rookie season. But, as he develops an ability to process things quicker, he’s going to turn into a quality linebacker in the NFL. I don’t mind calling this dude a 2nd round pick.
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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