Wide Receiver A.J. Henning Stars at Northwestern Wildcats Pro Day
Northwestern has not been widely projected to have any players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, but a strong performance at the Wildcats' Pro Day could change that.
Wide receiver A.J. Henning spent the final two years of his collegiate career at Northwestern after three years at Michigan. While his production in Evanston was limited by shaky quarterback play, Henning's talent was undeniable.
Henning was an All-Big Ten special teamer in 2021 and 2022 with the Wolverines, then finally got extensive receiving reps after transferring to Northwestern. Over the last two seasons, Henning totaled 104 catches, 1,139 scrimmage yards and nine total touchdowns. He also ranked fourth in the Big Ten in punt return average in 2024.
At Northwestern's Pro Day on Tuesday, Henning had the opportunity to showcase his talents to NFL scouts without the backdrop of the Wildcats' 130th-ranked offense. He made the most of it, displaying his game-changing speed and athleticism in several on-field drills.
"I felt really good about the on-field workout," Henning said. "No balls on the ground on my end, felt really good in the route tree. Some of those routes are NFL routes that I'll be running at the next level that I didn't get to showcase in some of my college film, so just having that in front of the scouts and them being able to see that, it was great."
As hand-timed by Northwestern Wildcats On SI and confirmed by several other independent timers at the event, Henning's fastest 40-yard dash was approximately 4.40 seconds. Among wide receivers that competed at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2025, that time would've ranked tied for 11th-best.
Henning also jumped 10'3 in the broad jump, 34.5" in the vertical jump and had 16 bench press reps. He said his testing marks contained several personal bests.
The final part of Henning's on-field workout involved returning punts, which he feels is his foot in the door to an NFL roster. However, Henning's route-running ability shined the brightest as he caught passes all over the field from Ryan Hilinski.
"I feel like I laid it all on the line today and put my best foot forward," Henning said. "This game of football is a game that I love to play, and I've played it since I was a young kid. So just coming out here, having the opportunity every day to play the game that I love, you can't be more happy than to do that."
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Gavin Dorsey is the Lead Writer for Northwestern Wildcats On SI and covers a handful of other teams in the On SI network. Before joining On SI in February 2025, he wrote for the Star Tribune and Inside NU while broadcasting college sports for both radio and television. Dorsey is a graduate of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, where he also studied psychology. In his free time, he enjoys running and being outdoors. Dorsey is currently a freelance writer for the Associated Press, covering Chicago area sports teams.