November 23, 2024
During the college football season each year, as long as you're watching the games, we point out five players each week to keep an eye on who make logical sense for the Philadelphia Eagles in the following year's NFL Draft.
Henderson was a five-star recruit coming out of high school who had a monster freshman season in 2021, when he had 183 carries for 1,248 yards (6.8 YPC) and 15 TDs, while adding 27 catches for 312 yards (11.6 YPC) and 4 TDs through the air. Highlights from that season:
In 2022, Henderson played through a broken bone and a torn ligament in his foot that limited his effectiveness (duh). He had surgery following the regular season, missing the Buckeyes' playoff run. Maybe Ohio State's coaching staff shouldn't have let a kid with so much promise play through a broken bone and torn ligament in his foot?
In 2023, Henderson picked back up where he left off in 2021, carrying 44 times for 295 yards and 5 TDs in 4 games before getting hurt again.
In 2024, Henderson has had to share the backfield with Quinshon Judkins, who transferred to Ohio State from Ole Miss. Judkins has more carries, but Henderson is averaging 7.4 yards per carry.
There are durability concerns, but Henderson is a high ceiling type of talent who could be a great value somewhere around Round 3.
Kenny Gainwell is in a contract year, and Saquon Barkley is going to finish this season with a lot of carries.
Kamara spent his first two collegiate seasons at James Madison before transferring to Indiana for the 2024 season. He leads the Big Ten with 9.5 sacks.
Kamara doesn't have great length at 6'1, but he has some speed to get around the edge, and possesses impressively quick inside counters for a 265-pound edge who is built like a fire hydrant. He also finishes when he gets to the quarterback. A quick highlight reel (via @NoFlagsFilm):
There should be some concerns about Kamara's ability to hold up against the run at his size, much like there is with Bryce Huff, but he could be an effective pass rusher out of the box, which is more important.
Arroyo had just 11 catches through his first three years at Miami, but he's having a breakout season in 2024, with 20 catches for 403 yards (20.2 YPC!) and 5 TDs.
There's a pretty good bet that he's going to be a standout at the NFL Combine, seeing as he maxed out at 21.8 MPH on a 74-yard TD catch-and-run against Georgia Tech earlier this season (via @RAanalytics):
I also loved this hustle play on an INT that was nowhere near Arroyo (via @EddieRoyalWR):
Arroyo is probably a Day 3 developmental guy, which would make sense for an Eagles team that has Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra under contract through the 2025 season.
Williams only has 11 career starts, but he has a massive frame and athleticism to go along with it. Much like first-round picks Amarius Mims and Tyler Guyton in the 2024 draft, Williams has minimal experience but high upside.
Here he is against Georgia this season. He's the RT.
You already know where I'm going with this. Williams could be an apprentice under Lane Johnson until Johnson is ready to retire, and he likely wouldn't require a first-round pick.
Royals plays for a 3-7 team — and none of you are watching this game — but he has inside-outside versatility, he gets separation, he's a weapon with the ball in his hands after the catch, and he can go up and win contested catches even though he is not a big receiver. Fun highlight reel:
Royals had 71 catches for 1,080 yards (15.2 YPC) and 15 TDs in 2023. He has 55 catches for 834 yards (15.2 YPC) and 6 TDs in just 6 games in 2024. In his last four games, Royals has 40 catches for 666 yards and 5 TDs.
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