Nick Henrich NFL Draft

Nick Henrich

  • LB Nebraska
  • Sophomore
  • #209
  • 6'3"
  • 225lbs
  • Prospect
  • Big Ten

Prospect Summary

Nick Henrich 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Background: 

  • Earned bachelor’s degree in Psychology in May 2022
  • Ranked as top prospect in the state of Nebraska as a recruit
  • Two-time academic All-Big-Ten (2020, 2021)

System: 

  • Scheme tendencies: Zone-heavy system (Cover 3, quarters, etc.)
  • 2022 projected role: Starting ILB

Pros: This dude can fit the run! Nick Henrich is calm, patient, and calculated with his scrape overtop of run plays and is calculated and effective in his decisions to shoot gaps. He’s got a long wingspan and that boosts his tackle radius effectively to allow him to reach and extend to challenge ball carriers away from his frame. He flashed that ability in the backfield and at the catch point when closing on targets. His range as a run defender is above average and he should continue to become more instinctual with more reps—an enticing thought if you’re looking for an early-down linebacker. I think he can get better in block deconstruction, but he did anticipate climb and ran through lateral contact from linemen with a sufficient level of functional strength to prevent him from getting run off the tracks.

Cons: Nick Henrich’s ability in space is a little spotty at this point. His zone drops don’t necessarily take adjusted angles, he does show some tightness in the hips, and he isn’t especially economic with his movement in these areas. This compounds issues and forces him to be late with transitions in zone drops. So unless he’s cutting crossing routes across his face and converting to carry in pattern-match scenarios, he has yet to develop his feel for working in space. The hope is that he’ll develop more after being a first-year full-time starter in 2021 but we need to see that progress first. Henrich’s transitional quickness also flashed in some missed tackle opportunities when pressing outside the tackle box. He appeared to overrun some of his tackle opportunities and was late to gear down and did not have the short-area agility to redirect and work back into the path of the running back, missing tackles as a result. Passing-down production is a big missing link to the upward mobility in his game—he’s been credited with one half of one sack and no passes defensed thus far into his career. That will need to change in the climate of today’s NFL game.

Nick Henrich NFL Draft Scouting Report by Kyle Crabbs