Arkansas TE Hunter Henry is the SEC's biggest matchup nightmare

In my most humble opinion, which is not very modest in the grand scheme of it all, football greatness happens when a certain philosophy is meshed with a player who has the prerequisite skill set for said scheme.

Too many times talented players are forced to perform duties that are beyond their skill sets by overzealous personnel guys who believe that all parts are interchangeable.

And while it can certainly be argued that a great player supersedes scheme, that’s not always the case.

For the University of Arkansas and its head coach Bret Bielema, the name of the game is physicality through running the ball a plethora of ways and dominating in the quick game with multiple tight-end sets.

While fans may long for the days of former head man Bobby Petrino’s high-powered passing outfit, which was littered with a ton of NFL-caliber wide receivers, they will have to settle for a re-rise to prominence behind a conceptually diverse running attack — led by the criminally underrated Jonathan Williams and the ultra-talented Alex Collins — and, perhaps, the biggest matchup nightmare in the Southeastern Conference, TE Hunter Henry.

And while the Razorbacks certainly have receivers that will make a significant impact — most notably senior Keon Hatcher and redshirt freshman Jojo Robinson — the bulk of the production will come from Henry and his band of brothers.

And that’s not at all a bad thing.

The Nation’s Premier Tight End Was Built For This Offense

Quick, name a dominant receiver from Bielema’s time as the overseer of the University of Wisconsin program.

I’m waiting…

You can’t, because there wasn’t one.

Some may point to Nick Toon (New Orleans Saints) or Jared Abbrederis (Green Bay Packers), but those who do are probably related to those two gentlemen. But those familiar with that time period undoubtedly remember stars like Owen Daniels (Baltimore Ravens), Lance Kendricks (St. Louis Rams) and Garrett Graham (Houston Texans), as these tight ends were an integral part of Wisconsin’s success in both the run and passing game.

First and foremost their ability to block meshed with the principles of the scheme as it’s, at its core, a “12” and “22 personnel-based” outfit, which dictates to the defense by forcing it to play in its base packages.

So when you have “Y” targets that can block and then turn around and become down-field threats, you become a team that breaks tendencies. Most teams don’t have coverage linebackers so it tries its hands with more defensive backs. But in doing so, it opens itself up to be slaughtered by a power run game.

But the teams that feel as though it has to stay in base to compete has to deal with a monster like Henry with less-athletic off-the-ball linebackers (most of the time).

The 6’6″, 255-pound Henry is Bielema’s best “Y” target since he became a head coach in 2006. As a 4-star prospect out of well-respected Pulaski Academy, in Little Rock, AR, he showcased his skills early on as one of the premier receiving threats in the country.

The first thing you noticed about his skill set in high school was his supreme catch radius. It’s one thing to be 6’6″, it’s a whole ‘nother to attack passes like you’re 5’6″. Henry’s ability to high-point the ball reminds me of current New Orleans Saints’ superstar “Y” Jimmy Graham.

But unlike Graham, Henry’s nowhere near as finesse and displays that in Arkansas’ vaunted rushing attack.

Check out this nasty “Wham” block by Henry at the point of attack. Some feel as though Henry is not that good of a blocker, but all I see is steady improvement and a willingness to be physical.

He will only improve and is pretty darn good, already, when you put the time into watching him in protection.

Make no mistake about it; Henry’s bread is buttered with his ability to beat any defender put in front of him.

Arkansas loves to split Henry out wide in hopes of attracting a linebacker to defend him. But often times Henry is met with the opposition’s best cover corner like seen in the above sequence: Henry took University of Alabama CB Eddie Jackson to school on his patented slant route.

He did a fantastic job of pressing the route upfield making it appear as though he’s running a 9-route; he flashed his numbers for the quarterback thus providing him with a wider target; he finished the route by high-pointing the ball and getting north/south for additional yardage.

Arkansas split Henry out wide a ton of times last season mirroring what the Saints like to do with Graham. But it’s an understanding of defensive concepts that reminds me of the great Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots.

Here we see Henry doing work from a normal in-line alignment against the University of Georgia. Being as though Arkansas lined up in “12 personnel,” all indications were this would be a strong-side run. However, Henry was deployed on a post and showed the UGA secondary just how physical he can be.

Here we see Henry flexed out finally receiving that match up with an off-the-ball linebacker.

Notice how efficient Henry is in his route-running prowess: He’s aggressive in the bottom phase of this “stick” route and doesn’t round off his transition phase while plucking the ball out of the air away from his body.

As a receiving target, Henry has the athleticism to press the seams and the agility to be an absolute terror in the quick game. Not to mention he has sticky hands and is a very physical player.

He’s the perfect example of when a scheme meshes with a skill set; expect Henry to continue to dominate SEC competition jumping right on the radars of NFL scouts.

This guy is a first-round draft pick in the making.

Who Replaces A.J. Derby As Henry’s Counterpart?

As great as Henry is, the Bielema scheme needs two tight ends to truly function. QB-turned-Y A.J. Derby, a graduating senior, was the perfect “Yin” to Henry’s “Yang” (for some reason that sounds kind of funny?!) with his ability to in-line block and move the chains.

But there’s no denying that another explosive tight end, with the prerequisite blocking ability, would provide defenses with even more headaches out of base personnel.

That’s where I believe the 6’6″, 241-pound Jeremy Sprinkle comes into play. Although the rising junior has only accumulated 11 catches for 152 yards, his reported 4.5 40-yard dash time makes him intriguing, nonetheless.

However, I must stress that in limited opportunity Sprinkle hasn’t displayed that he’s a surefire bet to procure the job with drops and blown blocks in pass-protection. But he’s a freak athlete who could add a vertical element to the Hogs’ offensive scheme.

But if he doesn’t pan out, or even if he does, there’s room for a third “Y” target — more commonly referred to as the “M” position — due to the Hogs’ frequent use of “13 personnel.” Good thing Arkansas pulled in the top tight end haul in the nation with three capable prospects: C.J. O’Grady, Will Gragg and Austin Cantrell.

While O’Grady may be the most athletic of the bunch, Gragg appears to be the best blocker which would give him a leg up in a three-tight set where the “M” would more than likely receive lead-blocking responsibilities.

All three have a ways to go to equal what Henry is bringing to the table, though. While he’s listed as a tight end in Arkansas’ media guide, he’s the best receiver on the team and may be the best in the conference as the scheme dictates it.