Hunter Henry taken by Chargers early in second round with No. 35 pick

Former Arkansas tight end Hunter Henry has been drafted by the San Diego Chargers with the No. 35 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Henry was an immediate contributor to the Razorbacks when he joined as a true freshman in 2013, and made a name for himself as the top tight end in this year’s draft class.

Unfortunately, given the landscape of the position this season, that title hasn’t earned him much praise. This year’s draft class is considered weakest at tight end, and there doesn’t seem to be any hype around other prospects. That has led some to consider Henry “the best of the rest.”

But those people are making a mistake. Henry, a first-team All-SEC player and winner of the 2015 John Mackey Award, given to the nation’s top tight end, has impressed throughout his football journey. He was a four-star recruit out of high school, was the No. 2 recruit in his state and had offers from Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Stanford and Vanderbilt in addition to Arkansas.

Last season, Henry started 13 games and finished second on the team with 51 catches for 739 yards and three touchdowns. He added another 900-plus yards and six touchdowns in his previous two seasons. He earned All-SEC Freshman honors in 2013 and was a second team All-SEC player in 2014. He has the credentials, and he has the skill set, to find success in the NFL.

That kind of success would be welcomed in San Diego, where the Chargers have to replace the production of Ladarius Green who joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency. Antonio Gates has long been the man for the Chargers at tight end, but he’s in the final years of his career and adding a young alternative is a must.

Henry was part of one of the most memorable plays in Arkansas history. On a 4th-and-25 play in overtime against Ole Miss, Henry caught a pass and when he was about to be tackled, he threw the ball backwards, randomly, as a lateral to Alex Collins, who ran it for a 31-yard gain and a first down.

Arkansas wound up scoring on the drive, and a successful two-point conversion gave them a win.

Henry has the size and speed of a receiving tight end in the NFL. The position is dominated by the bigger pass-catchers in the league these days, and Henry fits the bill. He looks like a natural catching the football and won’t take much coaching up to be an effective receiver. Body control and ability after the catch are his two biggest strengths. And best of all: he doesn’t have a history with drops.

If there are any knocks against him, most think he needs to add bulk to succeed in the NFL. Exploiting a matchup against linebackers is the best thing a receiving tight end can do, but Henry may need to add some muscle to control those battles. He also isn’t a great blocker, and gets pushed around a lot, which could limit his playing time as rookie.

Being able to stay in and block is very important for a rookie tight end because teams don’t want opposing defenses to know what they’re doing every time they bring said tight end into the game. That could be the biggest thing that keeps him off the field in his first season. But the Chargers are getting, without question, the top tight end prospect in this draft.