Commanders Rookie EDGE KJ Henry 'Overlooked,' Says Ron Rivera

Sometimes the talent of one player can dull the shine of another, and Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera believes that's what happened with Clemson's KJ Henry.

Leading up to the NFL Draft the Clemson Tigers had one of the top edge rushers in the class, but he was a guy not many projected to the Washington Commanders as a first-round option.

Despite the Commanders declining to pick up defensive end Chase Young's fifth-year option and Montez Sweat currently in the last year of his contract, nobody expected edge to be the top priority for the team. 

But it was certainly a position group we expected Washington to address at some point which they did in the fifth round by selecting 'the other' Clemson edge rusher, KJ Henry.

"KJ Henry is a dynamic outside edge player," coach Ron Rivera said following the selection. "It's interesting because the guy that played on the other side, a lot of people watched that guy. I think KJ was overlooked. I really do. The tape that you watch and you repeatedly watch, he's there making plays and so he's a guy that we wanted to add."

For Rivera, the guy on the other side he's referring to is Myles Murphy, who was selected with the 28th pick of the first round by the Cincinnati Bengals. 

To many, Murphy has the better body frame for the NFL, and his athletic measurements are better. From a production and film evaluation standpoint, however, Henry has the upper hand in some very important areas.

Starting with his overall defensive grade, Pro Football Focus puts Henry a full 6.7 points higher in his defensive ranking than Murphy. Henry also graded higher as a run-stopper and pass-rusher than Murphy with the biggest discrepancy coming in the nearly eight-point spread between the two when attacking the opposing quarterback.

From a production standpoint, Murphy again takes the lead over Henry, and that combined with his measurables is surely what put him above his college teammate. 

But four rounds higher? That may be where the rest of the NFL is missing out according to Rivera, and if team footage is to be believed the team nearly selected him in the fourth before deciding to go with Utah offensive lineman Braeden Daniels.

Ultimately, the Commanders traded up into the early part of the fifth round to get Henry and believe they got a steal in the process.

Last year, Washington made an NFL Draft trade that had them picking at the top of the fifth round and they selected North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell, another player the team was higher on than his selection spot would suggest. 

Just one year later, Howell is a starter, and with any luck, the Commanders will have struck gold again as they project to need a new starting defensive end this time next season.

Find David Harrison on the Locked On Commanders podcast or text him directly at (202) 760-2188.

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