Texans to Use Rookie LaDarius Henderson as Contingency Plan?

The Houston Texans closed the 2024 NFL Draft with the selection of LaDarius Henderson as the No. 249th overall pick. But will Henderson be a contingency plan during his first season with the franchise?

Mar 3, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan offensive lineman Ladarius Henderson (OL34) during the / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

HOUSTON — The last time LaDarius Henderson was at NRG Stadium, he helped the Michigan Wolverines win their 12th national championship title in program history. He kept quarterback J.J. McCarthy upright against the Washington Huskies, while the Wolverines took a 34-14 championship victory on Jan. 9.

Henderson departed Houston as a champion in January. However, the results of the 2024 NFL Draft led to him returning to the city. Instead of representing the Wolverines, Henderson will begin his professional career as a member of the Houston Texans.

The Texans drafted Henderson with the No. 249th overall pick. He was the second offensive lineman Houston drafted. Their first came during the second round (No. 59 overall) with the selection of Blake Fisher.

Henderson is a versatile offensive lineman who can play both tackle and guard. However, executive vice president and general manager Nick Caserio revealed that the decision to draft Henderson was due to Houston "trying to get the best five on the field" during the 2024 season.

"He has experience maybe more inside than outside — he was at Arizona State, played some guard," Caserio said. "We think Henderson can probably play inside, with the ability to bump out the tackle, like we talked about a little bit, tackle-centric and tackle focused. We'll see how it goes in the course of the spring, and then once we get in training camp, for sure."

Henderson could spend the bulk of his rookie year learning the game from the sideline. However, should the Texans need to upgrade their interior, Coty M. Davis and John Hickman discuss whether Henderson will be a contingency plan for Houston on the latest episode of Locked On Texans.

Henderson appeared in 14 out of Michigan's 15 games played during their 15-0 record in 2023. He received All-Big 10 honors while starting 10 games at left tackle and allowed two sacks on the season.

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