2023 Senior Bowl: 4 For Seahawks (Daiyan Henley)
A week after the 2023 Senior Bowl, Matty F. Brown has watched the practice tape and identified a quadruplet of players that the Seattle Seahawks will have been impressed by down in Mobile:
Make you sure download the Seattle Overload podcast for more thoughts on the Senior Bowl Offense and Defense fits for the Seahawks.
Don’t do it Matty! Yes, another Senior Bowl watched, another undersized off-ball linebacker: Washington State’s Daiyan Henley. I do, admittedly, have a soft spot for this position. But now I have good reason.
With hindsight, Seattle drafting one of the mid-to-late round ILBs from 2022’s cycle would have been prudent. Their cheap free agency addition of Joel Iyiegbuniwe, whom Associate Head Coach Sean Desai was familiar with, busted: Iggy was released from the roster after just one preseason game.
The Seahawks could have been more proactive at the position. They were not, instead rolling with: 2021 undrafted free agent Jon Rhattigan; reclamation project, safety convert Tanner Muse; and now turning 34-years-old, emergency veteran Nick Bellore—more of a special teams captain than valid depth.
Now in 2023, Seattle faces a troubling inside linebacker situation. 2020 first round pick Jordyn Brooks had his season cut short after tearing his ACL. This has added doubt to the likelihood of the Seahawks picking up Brooks’ fifth-year option. 2019 third round pick Cody Barton is entering free agency. There is no youthful depth behind last season’s starting duo.
So, while my 2022 coverage on the speedy Channing Tindall may have felt overly enthusiastic, my excitement about 2023 Senior Bowl standout Daiyan Henley feels necessary.
Daiyan Henley
The 21-personnel run fits really allowed Henley to show off. Here, as the run thru/spill defender versus strong counter, he beat the block designed to seal him inside with sudden agility. This is a 9 on 7 drill, missing the backside fitter.
Henley quickly diagnosed plays throughout. This play. another run thru/spill assignment, saw Henley time stay clean against weak counter to find the ball.
The nose Henley has for the football, along with the aggressive paths he takes, screams Seahawks. And, maybe because of his #1 jersey, it does have elements of Jordyn Brooks’ college tape.
Henley, at 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, could be bigger. The reality of the modern linebacker is that the position continues to get lighter and lighter though (Brooks was 240 pounds, Patrick Queen 237)
Here, as the turnback player, Henley was able to convert speed to some power, keeping outside leverage on the free-releasing guard with the fullback going wide. The nose tackle, backside inside linebacker, and Senior Bowl scheme contributed more to the crease the offense found.
It is hard to quit Henley’s agility. He is a problem fast-flowing to the ball, beating down-blocks. Take this one-back power play, filtering through from the backside.
Henley left high school as a two star quarterback. He first went to Nevada, spending his first two years as a wide receiver. That playing background, along with his short area movement skills, patience, and 33-inch long arms, saw him blanket the running backs in one-on-one coverage drills. It was dominance that projects to matching up with tight ends too.
Henley also put his length to use as a rusher with a variety of moves. These could do with some honing, though the potential is obvious. He had decent get-off too.
Sadly, this year’s Senior Bowl didn’t provide Henley with the zone-matching opportunities to prove his ability to turn and run with faster receivers downfield. His speed in the zone drops looked slower than the top end speed, but certainly not sluggish—say 4.5/4.6-ish in the 40-yard-dash.
Improvements-wise. there were a few instances of added steps when Henley looked to break in a direction from his zone drop, a symptom of uneven weight distribution or crossed feet. This was first visible in individual drills and will require work for the pros.
Age is also a slight negative: Henley turns 24-years-old in November, making him an older prospect that naturally brings questions of room for growth at this point.
The 3-4 aspect of Seattle’s defense means they have a “MIKE” inside linebacker and a “BUCK”. These two players are largely interchangeable—indeed, the Seahawks have technically aligned their usual MIKE, Brooks, at the BUCK spot on certain plays to get the better match-ups. The system is still designed to regularly get these players clean to flow to the football.
And Henley’s Senior Bowl performance was a great match for the Seahawks’ style. I would expect the linebacker to show up to Indianapolis in “combine” shape: slightly heavier, not in playing weight. He looks like an intriguing early to mid round pick and I’m eager to dive into his Wazzu tape.
Three other names whose All-22 I will be watching after Mobile:
Jayden Reed, Wide Receiver, Michigan State
Turns 23-years-old in April. Not a burner burner, more like 4.4 speed. And it says a lot that he was the fastest player in Senior Bowl practices (there wasn’t much pace this year). The former Spartan would serve as a Tyler Lockett alternative. Marquise Goodwin’s presence, and then absence through injury, proved the importance of this to Geno Smith and the Seahawks offense.
Reed has accomplished body control as a route runner from release to catch. He employs effective stutters through the gears downfield. The receiver loves a head-fake at the top of routes. Reed, crucially, is tough at catchpoints for his 5-foot-10, 191-pound frame. He is also able to win and separate late in contested deep situations. He is an accomplished tracker of the football, including long passes. I’m anxious to see more of him on intermediate crossing routes. Expect him to be a second round pick.
Adetomiwa Adebawore, Big End, Northwestern
Turns 22-years-old in March. Adebawore’s profile reads like the classic Seahawks 5-technique: 6-foot-2, 284 pounds, with 34-inch arms and an 82 1/8th=inch wingspan. Seattle’s scheme in 2022 ended up basing out of an under look that utilized the outside shoulder of the tackle alignment. Think Red Bryant.
But also think Michael Bennett. Whatever the Seahawks do in 2023, they will be asking players to play 5-tech, 4i, and 3-tech. A player with the skillset and body type to do all three of these things is important. Adebawore flashed the most in that glitzier part of the Big End role, reducing down inside as a 3-tech. It was here, in pass rush situations, that he showed heavy hands, power, and did a lot of damage to centers as the A-Gap push player in the spacing. Adebawore is expected to test well and may quickly climb up draft boards.
Julius Brents, Cornerback, Kansas State
Turned 23 in January. You can make a case that Seattle needs another of the smaller type corners to push Mike Jackson and Tre Brown, now they’ve moved away from strictly drafting 32-inch arms or longer.
Brents would be the throwback, at 6-foot-3 with 33 ¾-inch long arms. He was the most patient of the American team corners during the release drills versus the receivers. When it came to one-on-ones, he most commonly used an inch-off technique—which made sense given the liberties receivers were taking with their routes. And still the calm waiting for the hip to declare remained.
What was really exciting was when Brents stood in at the line of scrimmage and jammed guys. He wants to be physical and plays with violence. Speed-wise he looks like a 4.5 guy and this may be a great Day 3 value add for Seattle. Depth is never a bad thing.
I’m refreshed and ready to cover the heck out of the Seahawks’ draft, free agency, and offseason. Thanks so much for your support of Seahawks On Tape. At this link, you can find the 2023 Senior Bowl practices: