Robert Henry Jr. is one of the many prospects in this year’s class who worked his way up to get NFL looks. He went to Lumberton High School in Mississippi, which is a Class 1A school, the lowest classification in Mississippi, and still put up great production. He played RB, QB, special teams, and even some defense for his team and he finished with over 7,000 rushing yards and 117 total touchdowns, won Mr. Football twice, and even led his team to a state championship. Coming out of high school, he wasn’t ranked and didn’t get much attention and was a 0-star recruit. He had some offers from FCS schools, but chose to go the JUCO route at Jones County. That ended up working out for him because he had a big sophomore year with over 1,300 yards and 18 touchdowns, was named an All-American, and won the Walter Jones Trophy. After that, he transferred to UTSA and kept building his game.
At 5’9”, 199 pounds, Henry falls into the undersized category, and that shows up in contact situations and pass protection. He doesn’t consistently generate push through defenders and can be brought down through his lower half. That said, he compensates with above-average acceleration, quick feet, and fluid hips, allowing him to operate effectively in space. Henry’s 2025 production is the biggest selling point on his profile. He averaged 6.9 yards per carry, which reflects both efficiency and explosiveness. He also had five runs of 70+ yards, reinforcing that he’s a legitimate home-run threat when he gets into the second level. His ability to flip field position quickly will appeal to teams looking for change-of-pace backs. One of the more impressive metrics is his 4.22 yards after contact per attempt in 2025. For a back under 200 pounds, that shows strong competitive toughness and leg drive. He runs hard, finishes plays, and doesn’t shy away from contact, even if he doesn’t always win those collisions cleanly. From a vision standpoint, Henry shows the ability to press the line of scrimmage, force defenders to commit, and then make decisive one-cut transitions upfield. His best reps come when he stays disciplined, allowing blocks to develop before accelerating through a crease. He had a rep against Texas A&M, where he showed a great ability to press the hole, make the LB funnel down and plug the gap, and cut on a dime to create a new lane for him to gain big yards. However, there are inconsistencies, where he’ll occasionally rush reads or miss developing lanes, which limits his overall efficiency snap-to-snap. Ball security is adequate but not clean. Six fumbles over three seasons isn’t a major red flag, but it’s enough that it will be evaluated, especially for a player projected to have a limited early role where mistakes are magnified. In the passing game, Henry is currently limited. He can function on screens and checkdowns and has some ability to create yards after the catch, but he’s not a refined route runner and doesn’t project as a true third-down weapon right now. His pass protection is also below average, while he understands assignments and can identify pressure, his technique and anchor are inconsistent. He tends to drop his eyes at times and lacks the play strength to consistently handle NFL-level blitzers. Henry projects best in a wide zone / outside zone system where his burst and one-cut ability can be maximized. He’s most effective when asked to press the edge, read leverage, and explode vertically rather than operate in heavy gap/power schemes that require consistent contact balance and physicality between the tackles. The Pats, Vikings, Texans feel like teams who can use some RB depth.
Henry overall is an undersized back who has good burst, acceleration and solid long speed. Has good vision and plays hard despite being smaller. Development in his pass catching and as a pass blocker is important to see snaps in the NFL.
Henry projects as a Day 3 pick or priority undrafted free agent. A comp I gave for him was Mo Ibrahim, a productive leader for Minnesota, who eventually went undrafted. Early in his career, he’s likely competing for a practice squad or RB3/RB4 role, with potential contributions on special teams. His path to a stable roster spot depends on improving in pass protection and expanding his receiving utility. Long-term, if he develops those areas, he has the tools to become a rotational back in a zone-heavy offense, capable of providing explosive plays and complementary production.
Scheme Fit and Team Fit: Wide Zone offense
I think he can fit in multiple run concepts, but a zone-heavy offense where he can use his abilities to press and cut to get to the 2nd level with his burst is good for him. Half the league runs a zone / Shanahan offense now, the New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, and Houston Texans could be teams who need RB depth.
NFL Player Comp: Mohamed Ibrahim
Ibrahim is a bit bigger and had more power, but similar players have more burst and acceleration than long speed
Projection: Practice Squad Player Y1 / Role Player Y3
Henry will have a very limited role early on for a team, maybe some ST reps, I can see him getting some touches over time with development for a team
Grade and Round Projection: 3.28 / Day 3 or Priority UDFA
Ibrahim was undrafted and I think Henry may get drafted, but production in college will get him looks even if not drafted.
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