Wednesday, August 16, 2023

2023 Season Countdown: #20b La'Darius Henderson

 

La'Darius Henderson

Name: La'Darius Henderson
Height: 
6’4″
Weight: 
315 lbs.
High school: 
Waxahachie (TX) Waxahachie
Position: 
Offensive tackle
Class: 
Fifth year senior
Jersey number: 
#73
Last year: 
Henderson played at Arizona State. He started six games at left guard.
TTB Rating:
 N/A

Henderson started ten games at Arizona State as a freshman, thirteen in 2021, and another six in 2022. He didn't start in 2020 and ended up the 2022 season injured, but otherwise, he's been a starter for his entire career. As a senior in 2022, he was named a team captain but unfortunately got injured. There was some talk that he could have been a first round pick in the NFL Draft, and he was invited to the East West Shrine Game, but he turned it down to spend a year being tutored by Sherrone Moore at Michigan.

We'll see if it pays off for him. He's reportedly in a four-way battle start at tackle, along with Karsen Barnhart, Myles Hinton, and Trente Jones. My assumption all along has been that he will end up starting at left tackle, but Michigan has four starters for two spots. It's odd to think that a potential first round draft pick isn't even really in the top twenty of the most important players at Michigan for the upcoming season, but with the depth the Wolverines have, there are other solid options. Even the fifth offensive tackle - Jeffrey Persi - would probably be starting at several Big Ten schools.

I expect Henderson to win the job at left tackle, and I think the battle will really come down to the right tackle position. Henderson is smart, light on his feet, and can move people. He may not have ideal length for the tackle position - and he's probably a guard at the next level - but we've seen NFL guard types have very good seasons playing tackle for Michigan in recent years, such as Jon Runyan, Jr., Jalen Mayfield, and Ryan Hayes.

Prediction: Starting left tackle

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