Steelers Draft Profile & Interview: LB Daiyan Henley

The NFL Draft is winning. Listen, I love the draft. But yinz are literally crazy. The Super Bowl is the greatest single sporting event in the world. But apparently you’d rather watch a large man potentially walk across a stage. 

Anyways, that’s not the focus here. I do love the draft deeply. And each season I try to provide the best prospect coverage on the world wide web. This includes both a player profile, AND an interview with said player - with Steelers questions sprinkled in. 

I’m excited to start with Senior Bowl stand out, and Butkus Award finalist, inside linebacker Daiyan Henley - who I interviewed on the Sick Podcast, Steelers Crazy. Henley discussed his meetings with the Steelers, and tells a great Mike Tomlin story:

After a handful of seasons at Nevada, Henley entered the transfer portal prior to last season, and chose Washington State. You could say that paid off, as Henley had a monster season en route to becoming an All-Pac 12 first-team selection, and the first Cougar in program history to be nominated for the Butkus Award, given to the nation’s top linebacker. 

Henley is the most athletic inside linebacker in the draft. Maybe the most athletic that we’ve seen in the last few drafts. No, really. He started his career at Nevada as a wide receiver. Yes, a WIDE RECEIVER. When was the last time we saw a receiver make the switch to one of the best linebackers in college football? Not only did he begin his career as a receiver, but throughout his college tenure he lined up at QB, WR, EDGE, ILB, S - and yes, even kick returner.

Because of his experience at receiver, he has an uncanny ability to pre-determine a route, stay on a pass-catcher's hip, and make a break on the ball. 

This play below is one of the most ridiculously stupid things I’ve seen. It left me salivating. Watch Henley, a linebacker, covering a slot receiver in dime. He stays stride for stride with the receiver, and ultimately makes the game winning interception. 

That’s a linebacker, folks. I mean c'mon. There will be no hashtag Browns in this household.

So how does this check a box for the Steelers?

Something I’ve yet to mention is how bare the closet is for the Steelers at inside linebacker. Devin Bush has become a liability, and fortunately he’s a free agent, so he won’t be back. Myles Jack was a fun offseason signing and all, but not much more, as he was mostly invisible last season. 

My friend Tommy Jaggi over at Fansided’s Steelcurtain.com wrote a piece a few months back with the headline “Steelers Might Have the Worst Coverage Linebackers in the NFL.” This was following the team’s week eleven loss to the Bengals in which Bush, Jack, and Robert Spillane were responsible for each of the three TD’s scored through the air by Bengals backup running back Samaje Perine. Yikes, man. 

How often have we been perplexed at Bush or Spillane’s inability to hang within fifteen yards of a tight end, or inexplicably be lined up against a slot receiver in certain formations?

Well, Henley would fit this team to a tee (yes, that’s a bad shirt pun.) 

So with all of this considered, how is Henley not considered to be a top 10 pick? 

I think the answer would be that he’s still raw, with only one year of football in a power-five school under his belt, coupled with the fact he’s only been playing linebacker full-time for a few years. 

There are some minor concerns about his size, and I say minor, because the dude is still 6’2, 233 lbs. Although he has sideline to sideline speed, he’s not Devin Bush in the run game. He'll instinctively attack the gaps and be a presence in nullifying the opponent's run game. Their weights are similar, but Bush is 5’11 on his tippy toes. Henley could still stand to add ten to fifteen pounds.

I am also led to believe his motor far surpasses a guy like Bush (how can it not.) He plays with an aggressive mindset. You can feel the fact that he’s been overlooked for much of his career through your YouTube channel. This from Washington State Head Coach Jake Dickert when he was courting Henley in the transfer portal: 

“There’s a lot of playmaking, but he’s playing more linebacker. You watch his tape at Nevada; he’s playing old-school football — tackle the ball. Now you’re seeing him play linebacker with technique, his hands — his blitzing ability is off the charts."

Old school football, merged with new school speed and instincts? Gimme. 

If there were in fact those concerns, I think he put a lot of that talk to bed with his recent performance at the Senior Bowl, where plenty of power-five school standouts put their reputations on the line under the lights in front of the likes of Steelers’ Head Coach Mike Tomlin. Henley was one of seven players to receive two or more votes for Player of the Week, an award that is voted on by 32 NFL executives. He was one of the leaders in tackles on the National Team and recovered the game-turning fumble. 

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah: “The big test for Henley was how he would hold up in coverage against all-star competition. Well, he passed that test with flying colors. He’s instinctive and he can run. Henley has a chance to be a Day 2 (Rounds 2-3) pick.”

The Steelers currently hold the 32nd pick and 49th pick in the 2nd round of the draft. Could that be Henley’s range? 

I’ll hold an interview with Henley this week. And I’m excited to cover everything. Just like he does on the field.