WASHINGTON STATE LINEBACKER Daiyan Henley will be picked early in the NFL Draft that gets underway next week — that much the media agrees on. But what round and to which NFL team? That’s a different story.
Henley over the last several weeks has dropped a little when surveying the media predictions — not much, the majority of draft wonks still predict him to go in the second round. But the latest picks point to late in the second round. Previously, the majority trended earlier in the second.
The NFL Draft takes place next week in Kansas City from April 27-29, with 259 selections predicted over seven rounds. The first round is Thursday, rounds 2-3 take place Friday, and rounds 4-7 are slated for Saturday. TV coverage includes ABC, ESPN, NFL Network.
Predictions from media outlets Henley is taken in the second round, with the final pick of the round at No. 63.
Los Angeles Chargers, 54th selection in the second round — CBSSports.com, Ryan Wilson’s
57th pick, New York Giants — Pro Football Focus… PFF ranks Henley 38th overall on their big board, noting that “the PFF board is skewed by positional value, meaning that higher-value positions are prioritised over lower-value ones.”
Dallas Cowboys, 58th pick — The Athletic, Brugler, Dane
Sports Illustrated/Buffalo Draught Bible, 2nd: 59th selection, Buffalo Bills Serritella, Ric
Athlon Sports, 2nd: 63rd pick, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Easterling, Luke
Panthers Wire, United States Today’s mock draught prediction comes from writer Anthony Rizzuti: “Given Carolina’s dearth of depth at inside linebacker, Henley could be a viable option with the team’s second-round pick.” That pick is currently ranked 39th overall, which puts it in Henley’s range come draught time.”
According to NFL Draught expert Rob Rang, Henley will be taken in the second or third round, between the 50th and 75th overall pick.
Henley is expected to be selected in the third round, according to media reports.
Jordan Reid, 73rd selection in the third round, Houston Texans — ESPN
Todd McShay, Pittsburgh Steelers, third round, 80th pick — ESPN
Note: ESPN’s Mel Kiper, the most well-known NFL Draught analyst, has heaped praise on Henley in recent months, but he does not have him listed in his latest two-round mock draught, nor did he pick him in this week’s three-round alternating mock draught before McShay with the 80th pick, indicating Kiper now sees him as a third-round pick. Kiper, McShay, Reid, and Matt Miller, ESPN’s four draught analysts, all ranked Henley as the No. 4 ILB draught prospect in their updated positional rankings this week.
NOTABLE: NFL Draught expert Rob Rang says Cougfan.com that Henley will be chosen between the 50th and 75th picks.
IT SHOULD BE NOTED that every NFL team defends rigorously against the other teams obtaining a sense for which prospects they like and where in the draught they like them, worthy of a John Le Carré spy book, around the draught.