1. I have said this over and over. He was not picked because nobody thought he would give up baseball within the year. This isn't basketball where you retain the rights forever. Don't you think if the NFL rules were different (meaning the team drafting retains lifetime rights on a player) that Henson would've been picked before then. Why would Henson give up baseball and his contract to be a 6th round pick when he could just wait it out and be picked in the first round next draft. When the Yankees traded for Boone, they said this was a message to Henson, basically begging him to quit. The only reason Henson would quit this year would be because the Yankees have told the world they don't want him. Henson is too much of a competitor to have everyone believe he's just there to collect his baseball money. 2. You can't compare this to McGahee. McGahee was going to sign this year even if he couldn't play. 3. 3rd round? Id rather keep Henson than Dave Ragone.
granted. but my point is that henson quiting baseball is a higher probability than a playoff team finding an impact player in rounds 4-7. since rumors insist that's exactly what he's going to do, i guess i should throw the question back at you: if henson was such a first round lock next year, why is he reportedly set to sign with houston? he's struggled all year and every NFL GM worth his salt knew it. nobody needed the yankees to tell them what was painfully obvious: his baseball career was imploding. IOW, the bills made the pick for next year, right? they're a borderline playoff team that could afford to keep an eye on 2004 and beyond, right? and they did so in round 1. if mcgahee and his potential is worth a 1st round pick... how in henson and his potential not worth at least an early day 2 pick, assuming he's the can't miss franchise QB you keep assuming he is? in theory, it's a no-brainer. i just think it's an incredible leap to go from 6th round pick to 1st round pick because he officially quits baseball. he's still inexperienced, he's still two years removed from playing football and he's coming off a very public failing as a prospect, walking in the well-worn footsteps of chad hutchinson.
Whatever the answer is, all it takes is one of 31 teams to agree with me for Henson to be taken in the first round or a pick traded for him. For that not to happen, all 31 have to decide that he's not worth it. Time will tell, but with a guy with talent to go first overall playing the most important position on the field that tems throw draftpicks away on every single year, I like my odds in the collective action scenario better than yours.
Out of those 31, how many don't feel "set" at the QB position? Narrows it down to 4-5, and the odds of these teams being insane enough to trade a 1st rounder for Henson are slim.
One thing to keep in mind about this, though, is teams not wanting to deal with the public backlash that would result when a team drafts a player who has openly stated "I will not play football." I remember my first reaction to it was pretty negative. Certainly it can't have a huge effect on the team's drafting strategy if they really think it is a worthy risk, but I'm thinking there would be more than one GM that would shy away from making that call just because it is a controversial one (to the casual fan).
Think about the Ukari Figgs situation with the Comets. she would have gone in top 2 picks. But nobody drafted her because she said she was going to be a Lawyer. So every single team passed on her in the draft. However, Van Chancellor drafter her anyway, and with a great deal of criticism, and now she's the starting point guard. So in this case the Comets did what the Texans did. The Texans either knew something that every other NFL team did not. Or the Texans simply took a gamble and won. You can't just assume that because nobody drafted Henson that those NFL teams knew something. Maybe they didn't know anything. And Maybe the Texans knew something they didn't. Which right now seems more likely.
frankly, if a GM is giving even a nanosecond's thought to the public's reaction to one of his picks, that GM needs to be removed instantly from their position, taken out behind the barn and put out of their misery.
Teams will spend a high draft pick on a QB if they need one. Texans - Expansion Teams need a Solid QB. Lions - QB Glaring need. Falcons - Michael Vick was the can't miss prospect of the decade. 2001 - After Baltimore Wins the Super Bowl, out of the 1st 13 picks in the draft... 7 are Defensive Linemen. Vick is the only QB taken in the first round while Drew Brees falls to the 2nd. 2002 - After New England wins the Super Bowl... After Carr and Harrington go 1 and 3, the next QB taken is Josh McCown in the 3rd round. Looking for a Tom Brady? 4 QB's are taken in the 5th round. 2003 - After Tampa Bay wins the Super Bowl, half of the first 18 picks in the draft are Defensive Linemen. There is not a team out there right now willing to give a 1st round pick for Drew Henson, even if the Bears did take Rex Grossman.
they already did last april. 32 teams passed on him 191 times. is that why a big-time talent like chris simms went near the end of the third round? and that's not a knock against chris - like henson, he's an intriguing prospect with a lot of physical tools. and he lasted until the end of round 3. also, keep in mind, henson can't work out for another team until he's dealt. it's not like the texans can hold a pseudo-scouting combine prior to trading him.
NYKrule, maybe the Texans had knowledge that this was his last go around. The Comets obviously knew something on figgs by way of communication that no other team did. That's what I'm trying to say. It would seem likely the Texans knew something in this case as well. So they spent a pick on him that nobody else was willing to waste.
Ric, who cares who passed on him in April? Drew Henson's value in NFL circles just quintupled from where it was back in April. And now, we'll see.
If Henson had gone into the draft out of college, yes he would have been a top 10 pick. However, right now you're talking about a QB 2 years removed from playing football, pro or college. Will the Texans get better than a 6th round pick for him? Yes. Will they get a first? Not unless an NFL owner names Bingo the Monkey GM.
With all this talk about how much value henson is and the fear people have of him becoming better than carr, palmer, favre,elway, montana, etc. why don't we keep henson and trade carr for a hummer? We could use the hummer as our RB and trade Mack and Hollings for a 1st round pick next year and draft that stud reciever from UT. Besides i'm not too sure hollings legs will last long enough to be our future back....i heard hummers will last 10+ years and also have a 3 year warranty! Charles Casserly is a genious!
Just confirmed by ESPN that Henson has officially given up baseball and his 12 million dollar conrtact.
That's a ridiculous statement. What the heck does being 2 years removed from football have anything to do with his abilities. Roger Staubach was away from football for 5 years before joining the Cowboys. Look at some QB's in the past 25 years. Many of the good QB's didn't develop until past age 30. And in case you're wondering, Drew Henson is younger than Dave Ragone and was considered a better prospect in college.
How was it a high probability. Henson is walking away from $12 million dollars in baseball money. You are rolling the dice when taking a player like this. $12 million? How many people step away from that I have no idea. Why would he walk away from $12 million in baseball salary? Most likely, he can work a deal and negotiate with the Texans on which team he wants to go to instead of being "selected" by any team via the draft. For example, if he, the Texans, and the Cowboys can all mutually agree, then that may be a better scenario than just being drafted by any team. He also repeatedly said he was NOT giving up baseball. It's like the baseball amateur draft when a player insists he's going to college. Do you spend the #1 pick on a guy or do you take a chance in a later round hoping money (or circumstance) will lure him away. Once again. The difference between Henson and McGahee is even if McGahee was not going to play, the Bills reatined his rights regardless as long as he signed the contract. How many times before and after the NFL draft did Henson or his agent insist he wasn't giving up baseball for football. That would deter a lot of people and it did.
Tuesday, February 25, 2003 Drew Henson: Baseball is my game -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ex-Wolverines QB starting to get in swing The Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. - NFL fans and officials take note. Drew Henson remains committed to baseball. The New York Yankees had originally hoped the former Michigan quarterback would have been ready to play third base at Yankee Stadium this season. But struggles at Triple-A Columbus last year put those plans on hold and fueled speculation again that a pro football career might instead be ahead for Henson. The 23-year-old Henson reiterated Monday that his future is in baseball, even though he remains eligible for the NFL draft in late April. "I'm not going to go play football," Henson said. "I get defensive probably more so than at first. It offends me because people will think, 'Well, he made a decision and now he's going to switch back.' That's not the type of person I am." Henson hit .240 with 18 homers and 65 RBIs in 128 games last year at Columbus, striking out 151 times in 471 at-bats. He also made his major league debut, striking out in his only official at-bat, and scoring a run. Henson gave up football when he signed a $17 million, six-year contract in 2001. "I want to be in New York and I want to help contribute," Henson said. "Until I'm playing every day in the big leagues, football is going to be an issue. People are always going to wonder because that's what fans do." Yankees manager Joe Torre talked with Henson last week and told him just to relax. During an intrasquad game Monday, Henson went 1-for-2 with a single and robbed Alfonso Soriano of a hit with a diving catch at third base. "He looked loose," Torre said. "I think he's put a lot of pressure on himself. The most important thing for him to do is just enjoy it. Hopefully last year was a good lesson for him." Henson took more than a month off after playing in the Arizona Fall League, visiting family and friends from San Diego to New York. "I just got tired and run down," Henson said of his first full pro baseball season. "I ran out of gas. Going into this season, I know how long it's going to be." Henson admitted being wound up too tight. "I was complicating things," Henson said. "React and trust my athletic abilities. When everything gets right and I'm where I want to be, I think I'll appreciate it a lot more because of the things I've gone through to get there."
Here's (the late and great ) Joel Bushbaum's opinion of Henson after Henson left Michigan PFW: What are your thoughts on Henson's decision (to sign with the Yankees and leave Michigan)? Buchsbaum: Henson going to the Yankees is a devastating blow to the NFL. That means that they have lost two quarterbacks, Joe Borchard and Drew Henson, who many scouts feel could have been franchise players in the league - the type of guys you build franchises around - and who were rated higher by many scouts than Michael Vick, because they were more advanced in the system they played in, and they are much taller. The biggest loser in all of this is the Houston Texans, because next year,if things had gone according to plan, they'd have been picking between two franchise quarterbacks in Henson and Borchard, and possibly three if Vick had opted to return to school for one more year. So it's just a devastating, devastating blow to Houston. And if you consider the juniors who came out this year, probably the top-10 rated would-be seniors in next year's draft are already gone from the picture. Players such as Gerard Warren, Koren Robinson, David Terrell and Justin Smith all definitely would have been in the top 10 next year, and there's a good chance that if they had progressed well enough, guys such as Freddie Mitchell and Dominic Raiola could have conceivably been up there. Nate Clements also could have been up there.
