From high school ALL-USA to NFL Draft: Arkansas tight end Hunter Henry

As the NFL draft nears, USA TODAY High School Sports will look back at the high school careers and draft prospects for former American Family Insurance ALL-USA selections. Today’s installment features Arkansas tight end Hunter Henry.

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Hunter Henry of Pulaski Prep in Arkansas was named ALL-USA as a senior

Position: Tight end

High school: Pulaski Academy (Little Rock, Ark.)

ALL-USA history: Named to the American Family Insurance first team in 2012. As a senior, he caught 107 passes for 1,449 yards and 15 touchdowns while helping lead Pulaski Academy to the 5A state semifinals. Rivals.com ranked him as the No. 2 tight end in the country, and 247Sports and Scout.com tabbed him as the nation’s No. 4 tight end.

College: Arkansas

Height, weight: 6-5, 250 pounds

Arkansas tight end Hunter Henry during the NFL Scouting Combine (Photo: Brian Spurlock, USA TODAY Sports)

By the numbers: Averaged 14.3 yards per catch in his three-year career at Arkansas.

Draft positives: Easy pass catcher with seamless transition to running after the reception. Versatile threat that can be too quick for linebackers and too big for defensive backs. Smooth change of direction and speed. Balanced mover. Aggressive ballcarrier who will break tackles and run away from defenders in space. High-effort blocker in the trenches and in space.

Draft negatives: Needs more strength development. Can be pushed around by more physical defensive linemen. Deep speed is limited. Lacks explosion from his three-point stance. Inconsistent route runner who will round his cuts too often.

Projection: Round 2

What he says: “I’m going to bring a dual-threat tight end that’s going to put his head in there in the run game. I’m going to block. I did that in college consistently. And I’m going to create a mismatch in the passing game.”

STATISTICS AT ARKANSAS

Draft analysis by Dan Shonka, Ourlads.com