Finally a pass rusher! Hendrickson had 13. 5 sacks at Florida Atlantic last year. He’s relentless effort, power and athleticism. He doesn’t have blazing edge speed but I think he’s a guy that will compete with Okafor and Kikaha for pass rush snaps. I feel like the 3rd round is a little bit of a reach for him given the lack of competition he faced (and the lack of explosion off the edge), but the Saints needed a pass rusher. Now they have one.
Here’s his write up on NFL.com:
Strengths – Good upper-body turn that presents a difficult target for tackles to punch. Rushes with good lean and has a strong club hand to soften the edge. Uses arm extension and acceleration to generate some speed-to-power push. Impressive, fluid footwork with spin move counter. Hands are effective at warding off cut blocks. Good lateral quickness to squeeze running lane. Rakes at the ball as tackler, forcing six fumbles over final two seasons at FAU. Special teams demon; blocked a punt, two field goals and an extra point in 2016.
Weaknesses – Average height with lean legs and short arms for the edge. Not an “other side of the line” run defender. A tick slow to diagnose and respond off snap. Allows blockers to cross his face and beat him to the block. Got hooked and secured by smallish tight end Jonnu Smith from Florida International. Needs to do better job of thumping and setting a strong edge. Plays too tall in his tackle-end twist transitions, allowing blockers under his pads.
Bottom Line – More of a second-effort sack man than a quick-win specialist, but he did show some edge rushing ability at the Shrine Game practices that didn’t flash as often on tape. His lack of length on the edge will be a turnoff for some, but he flashes enough to warrant a third-day draft selection as a backup 4-3 defensive end who could continue to develop as a rusher with additional work.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
