Daiyan Henley LB Washington State | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Daiyan Henley LB Washington State
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| PLAY STYLE: BOX LB | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 03/30/2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40 time: 4.54 seconds (90%*) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
SHARE THIS PROFILE:
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PLAY STYLE: BOX LB | |
| Last Updated: 03/30/2023 | |
| Draft Year: 2023 | |
| 40 time: 4.54 seconds (90%*) | |
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |
|
SHARE THIS PROFILE:
|
| Overall Rating: | 84.1 / 100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
|
78% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Tackling: |
|
89% |
| Pass Rush: |
|
76% |
| Run Defense: |
|
65% |
| Coverage: |
|
76% |
|
DRAFT PROJECTION:
3rd
Overall Rank:
#95
Position rank:
#11
|
||
| College Games: 36 College Snaps: 1724 | ||
247 RATING: 77/100
|
||
Drafted: ROUND: 3 - Pick Number: 85 (LAC)
Draft Profile: Bio
Daiyan Henley from Crenshaw High School was rated a 2-star recruit by ESPN and handed a 2-star grade by 247 Sports. After high school, Henley joined Nevada on the offensive side of the ball as WR.In 2018 as a freshman Henley saw little action at receiver and had a similar lack of action in 2019 when his year was cut short by a season-ending injury.
In 2020 as a junior Henley made the full-time switch to linebacker where he played in 9 games and contributed on 360 snaps. He recorded 32 tackles, and 8 assists while making 19 stops. As a pass rusher, he produced 7 total pressures, which included 6 QB hurries and a QB hit
In 2021 as a senior Henley showed much-improved play while playing on 676 snaps for the Wolf Pack. He also made 79 tackles, 19 assists, and 40 stops. While in coverage Henley made one pass breakup, 4 interceptions, and an outstanding QB rating when targetted of 39.0. As a pass rusher, he tallied 10 total pressures, which included 8 QB hurries and 2 QB hits on the season.
After season's end Henley transferred to Washington State where as a fifth-year senior for the Cougars in 2022 he produced his best year yet. Henley played 12 games and took part in 667 snaps for the Cougars. He made 74 tackles, 18 assists, and 40 stops. While in coverage Henley added a pass breakup, and one interception, but surrendered a QB rating when targetted of 101.8. As a pass rusher, he tallied an impressive 18 total pressures, which included 10 QB hurries, 3 QB hits, and 5 sacks on the season.
Honors & awards
- 2022 named to All-America Second Team by College Football News
- 2022 named to All-Pac-12 Conference First Team as a linebacker and All-Pac-12 Second Team as an all-purpose/special teams player
- 2022 named Butkus Award Finalist (top college linebacker), first Butkus finalist in program history
- 2021 Named to All-Mountain West Conference Second Team
Scouting Report: Strengths
- The talent is there as a sideline-to-sideline playmaker who can run with pretty much any back
- Looks the part with a solid, muscular build, and surprisingly long arms for his height. Good overall athleticism and straight-line speed.
- He’s very good in coverage when looking into the backfield in zone coverage - can even handle WRs on intermediate routes
- An elite tackler who rarely fails to wrap up
- As a pass rusher - he's got better each year and now presents as a serious option as a situational pass rusher
- Has some nice versatility - probably best as a weakside LB, but could easily handle the strong side and match up well against tight ends
- Adds an extra dimension as an elite special teamer
- A much better athlete than originally billed - surprised a lot at the combine with 4.54 forty along with an elite broad jump - showing real explosion
- A real ball hawk - always manages to seem to be in the right place at the right time. He's an interception machine
- A bit stiff but makes the clean open-field tackle. Good effort in pursuit.
- Handles misdirection well with quick change-of-direction ability. Comes downhill quickly against the run when Henley has an open lane.
- He’s at his best in coverage. He’s a fluid mover capable of turning and running with tight ends or mirroring backs coming out of the backfield.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- He seems to have been in college forever and while it's helped develop him as a prospect - he'll be 24 as a rookie
- Has been a full LB for just three years and doesn't display the kind of instincts you expect to see from a player who has played the position since high school
- Sometimes a little late reacting to a play that he doesn't expect and needs to improve his basic play recognition. You hope this will come with time
- Henley is very much on the small side (at 6-0 and 225lbs) and struggles to slip blocks; he’ll need to be covered up in order to make plays
- He’ll need to be covered up to be effective as a short-area run defender. He’s not the kind of guy you can line up in the pass rush and have him bend the edge; he’s limited to shooting through gaps
- As a pass rusher, Henley lacks the ideal length to consistently win off the edge, even if he manages to improve his at-times sloppy hand usage.
Scouting Report: Summary
Daiyan Henley is a quality pro linebacker prospect, who possesses outstanding overall agility and speed, an equally impressive ability as a consistent tackler, and also displays some nice potential as a pass rusher. Despite this, he'll unlikely be viewed as a full-time starter due to his limited size and could become a liability defending the power run game.Henley offers some versatility as a special teamer while he grows into the position, still, it's unlikely he gets picked any higher than the third round in the 2023 NFL draft due to his obvious size limitations.
Daiyan Henley percentiles vs other Linebackers (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
Update - 03/30/2023
Displayed elite athleticism and coverage skills at the Senior Bowl. His stock has skyrocketed this week.How other scouting services rate Daiyan Henley (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
70.6
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
14.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.