CLEMSON FOOTBALL

Washington selection a 'big moment' for KJ Henry, family
KJ Henry's dad Keith is a lifelong Washington fan and even more so now with his son on the team. (Clemson athletics photo)

Washington selection a 'big moment' for KJ Henry, family


by - Correspondent -

With the No. 137 overall pick, the Washington Commanders selected defensive end KJ Henry to continue a legacy of Clemson D-line products headed to the NFL -- and also create a special moment for a family.

With Myles Murphy going on Day 1 to the Cincinnati Bengals as the No. 28 overall pick, Henry made this the first time since 2019 (Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant) that two defensive ends from Clemson were drafted in the same year.

Henry spent five years playing for the Tigers, although he redshirted his freshman year and only started two games. While his sack numbers do not jump off the charts, he has been rather consistent with at least two sacks every season as a starter, a fumble recovery each of his last few seasons and at least six tackles for loss in that time period, although he had nine in 2022. The five-year veteran excelled in passes defended this past season, recording six.

Although he was a consistent presence on the Tiger defense, Henry does have a lot of developing he still needs to do. First, his edge rushing ability is not currently to the level of elite NFL players or other prospects like Murphy. In addition, he needs to work on his hand fighting to win at the line of scrimmage. General manager Martin Mayhew and the Commanders seem to not see this as a problem though. In fact, they traded up for him.

“Yeah, I mean that just shows love,” Henry said. “Obviously all the picks wanna be drafted earlier, but you know, fifth rounder for number five. It only makes sense.”

Getting your name called during the NFL Draft is a special moment. Although Henry himself did not grow up a fan of the team, his father has been a Washington fan his entire life, making this moment extra special.

“I promise you I was very excited, but no one was screaming louder than my dad. Been a Commanders fan all his life. This has been his team and now it’s my team. It was a big moment,” the younger Henry said.

Henry was a leader for Clemson and was one of the team captains because of that leadership mentality. This is something that he will bring to the Commanders locker room, as well as his high level of play. Still, Henry is not one to take his opportunity for granted and wants to earn his place with the team.

“Coming in, first and foremost, I want to earn everything. I know I’ll have to, but I’m excited to get that opportunity to do it all over again,” Henry said. “Earn the respect of my teammates, my coaches and everybody in the organization. But, you know, as a player, I’m going to bring great versatility to the field, (maximize) every single play and just excited to help us win. Whatever aspect that’s called for me on the field, special teams defense, just any position in order to bring us dubs next year. That’s what I’m excited to do and then obviously just trying to lead by example in one way or another. I’m going to lead by example or lead from communication and just try and be a bright spot that’s already in a great defense.”

While he will not be playing with any Clemson alumni, Henry will get the opportunity to learn from elite NFL talent, including Pro-Bowler and 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year Chase Young. Young hasn’t played a full season since 2020, but will be available for Henry to learn a lot from.

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