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Traveon Henry NFL Draft scouting report

The linebacker-turned-safety must improve his speed to stick at the next level

Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

As a running back out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Traveon Henry received plenty of offers. He chose to attend Northwestern over local favorite Florida State, and four years later, Henry has put together an impressive career on the other side of the ball. After contributing minimally as a freshman, Henry improved drastically his sophomore season, winning the starting safety position and playing alongside current Cleveland Brown Ibraheim Campbell.

Henry, known for his consistency, started every game in which he was healthy his final three seasons. The hard-hitting safety was consistently one of Northwestern's leading tacklers.

Measurables, Pro Day results

40-yard dash Bench press reps Vertical jump Broad jump 3 cone drill 20-yard shuttle
4.70 sec. 16 DNP DNP DNP DNP
Height Weight Arm length Hand size Wingspan
5'11 216 lbs 31 3/4 in. 9 1/4 in. 77 1/2 in.

Henry put up a solid number on the bench, but his 40-yard dash is what will hold him back. Deonte Gibson — a guy trying to transition from defensive end to linebacker — ran a faster 40.

Strengths

- Experience. He was a three-year starter who also saw action with the first-team since his freshman season, contributing on special teams throughout the entire career.

- Tackling ability. Henry is a tough, downhill, run defending safety who totaled 74 tackles last season and broke up four passes. He's an instinctive, hard hitter that squares and wraps up ball handlers, which may be his best asset. Henry isn't afraid to go up against offensive lineman and fullbacks to make a play, and he's a good blitzer for a safety.

- Intangibles. Henry was a leader of this team and a vocal presence in the secondary. Teams will love what he brings to the locker room and meeting rooms.

Weaknesses

- This one is pretty obvious. Henry's speed has always been his one flaw. Henry needs to improve on his pure speed because skill players in the NFL are a lot faster than those in the Big Ten.

- Ball skills. His ball skills aren't terrible, but there's definitely room for improvement. Henry dropped a few interceptions throughout his career and you can't miss those opportunities at the next level.

Highlights

Career stats

Games Tackles Tackles For Loss Sacks Fumbles Forced Fumbles Recovered Interceptions Passes Defended
2012 8 23 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
2013 10 77 4.0 0.0 0 0 1 1
2014 10 73 2.5 0.0 0 0 0 0
2015 12 74 4.0 1.0 0 1 2 4

Projections

NFL Draft Scout lists Henry as the 63rd best safety available in the class.

CBS Sports doesn't even have him ranked.

Neither projection has Henry getting drafted.

Outlook

Henry is a solid college safety that flew under the radar the past three years. Henry could be bring depth to an NFL secondary given the right situation and become a valuable contributor on special teams. He'll be willing to do whatever it takes to stick at the next level. Still, he'll need to get either faster or bigger at the next level to make a roster.