Chargers pick Henry
San Diego selects ex-UA tight end with 4th pick of 2nd round.
FAYETTEVILLE — Hunter Henry did not have to wait long Friday to hear his named called.
The San Diego Chargers picked the decorated Arkan- sas tight end with the fourth pick of the second round and the 35th pick overall at the NFL Draft in Chicago.
“It’s unbelievable,” Henry told the Chargers.com team website. “It’s a lifelong dream coming true.”
Henry (Pulaski Academy) celebrated his selection in
Little Rock with family and friends, including his father, Mark, a former All-Southwest Conference lineman for the Razorbacks.
Henry, a consensus All-American and the Mackey Award winner as the nation’s best tight end, was the first player at his position taken in the draft. He became the first Razorback to earn that distinction since running back Darren McFadden (Pulaski Oak Grove) was taken with the No. 4 pick of the 2008 draft by the Oakland Raiders.
Henry is the fourth Arkansas tight end taken in the draft since 2011 — joining D.J. Williams, Chris Gragg and A.J. Derby — and the highest tight end selection ever for the Razorbacks. Arkansas and Notre Dame are the only schools in college football with four drafted tight ends in the past six drafts.
Henry will join a San Diego offense led by 12-year veteran quarterback Phillip Rivers and a position group that features 13-year tight end Antonio Gates.
“I loved watching Antonio Gates growing up,” Henry told Chargers.com. “Now to be able to go play with a Hall of Fame tight end like that, it’s an honor. I can’t wait to get there and learn from what he does, and what makes him so good.”
San Diego General Manager Tom Telesco pointed out Henry did not have a drop in 2015.
“He has excellent hands and he can block some too, so he’s a complete tight end,” Telesco told the website. “He comes out of a pro-style offense at Arkansas and can do a lot of things. We think he can really help our offense and learn from Antonio a little bit as well, obviously.
“We like to throw the ball obviously with Philip Rivers. He’ll be a great target for Philip. This is a really polished col- lege tight end at a position that they’re very hard to find. We’re thrilled to get a player like this. This is a first-round talent for us, so to get him here we’re really excited.”
Henry said he was not disappointed about falling to the second round.
“I’m so pumped to go where I’m at and come to San Diego,” Henry told Chargers.com. “To be a Charger is such a blessing, and I’m so humbled. I get to go to a great city and a great organization, and be a part of it. All my hard work has paid off for this moment.”
Henry’s selection went underplayed on the ESPN broadcast, as it happened during a commercial break. It was also made just after Dallas took linebacker Jaylon Smith of Notre Dame and the pick
before Jacksonville selected linebacker Myles Jack of UCLA, two players of interest because of injuries that likely knocked them out of the first round.
San Diego’s choice of Henry was announced by former Chargers defensive back Gill Byrd, a two-time Pro Bowler who played at San Jose State.
Mike Mayock of the NFL Network immediately remarked, “Good pick. Good pick.”
The Razorbacks have an extensive history with the Chargers, including Hall of Fame receiver Lance Alworth, first-round picks Billy Ray Smith Jr. and Gary Anderson in 1983, as well as fourth-round pick Danny Walters the same year, and sixth-round pick Darius Philon last year.
NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks called Henry a solid pick for the Chargers.
“Understand Antonio Gates is probably in the last year of his career,” Brooks said. “You need to find a tight end that can be a difference make for the next five to seven years. Philip Rivers is at the end of his career, and he wants someone that can make plays right away. Hunter Henry is that guy.
“Watching him on tape, loved his route-running ability, thought he had natural hands and he caught the ball well.”
USA Today’s Nate Davis wrote of the selection: “The top tight end in the draft goes to San Diego, where he can learn from Antonio Gates, a near lock for the Hall of Fame but quite possibly entering his final NFL season. Henry’s a solid receiver and decent enough blocker.”