After a long, two-day wait, Michigan’s only early entrant to the NFL Draft finally came off the board.
Defensive tackle Willie Henry, who forwent his senior season of eligibility to enter this year’s draft, was the Baltimore Raven’s fourth-round pick (132 overall) on Friday.
Henry will be coached by Jim Harbaugh’s brother, John.
From 2013 through 2015 at Michigan, Henry appeared in 35 games on defense, starting 22. He posted career highs in tackles (34), sacks (6.5) and tackles for loss (10) as a redshirt junior in 2015. His best stretch came in October as he made two sacks in each of two straight games against Northwestern and Michigan State. He also knocked down two passes as the Wolverines went 10-3 and won the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1. Just 12 days later, Henry declared for the NFL Draft.
The 6-foot-3, 303-pound Cleveland native was critical to Michigan’s success on defense last season and became a viable pro prospect from the outset. He played mostly defensive end but projects most likely as a defensive tackle at the next level, and perhaps in another year, Henry could have come off the board sooner. But out of a deep crop of tackles in this year’s draft class, 16 went before Henry — four each in the first round, second, third, and fourth — beginning with Louisville’s Sheldon Rankins at No. 12.
This is a developing story. Check back on www.michigandaily.com for updates.