Player Spotlight; Chad Henne

Quarterback Chad Henne played for one of the more high profile programs over the past four years at the University of Michigan. Now he must prove that he can handle the pressure of playing against the best in the NFL. DJ Boyer gives his analysis of Henne in this player spotlight.

*Chad Henne Quarterback Michigan*
Senior, 6-3, 230

*Strengths:* Touch and throwing over the defense
*Weaknesses*: making plays in big situations

*Statline:* nearly 10,000 yards passing at Michigan as a four year starter with 87 touchdowns to only 37 interceptions.

*Technique:* Looking at technique and mechanics, Henne is as talented as any quarterback in this class.

*Known Injuries:* Henne missed a significant amount of time as a senior while staying healthy during his other seasons at Michigan. He suffered which was famously described as a “lower leg injury” which really equated to a knee and ankle sprain along with damage to his shin. He seems to be fully recovered from his injuries.

*Combine / Workout Assessment:* 4.41 in the short shuttle while running a 4.86 in the 40 yard dash.

*DJ Boyer's Analysis:* If you were to judge quarterbacks on mechanics and technique alone then Chad Henne would be right there with Matt Ryan at the top of the 2008 class. Another in a long line of Western PA quarterbacks, Henne was a rarity in that he was a four year starter in the Big Ten at Michigan. Henne has taken some knocks about accuracy because many have stated that his completion percentage was a little low for a player considered to be an elite quarterback. Looking at the game film though you see Henne does a great job of feeling the pressure and throwing the ball away. Will take an incompletion over a sack or making a dangerous throw. Is sometimes a little too cautious with ball placement and if he holds onto the ball too long it causes problems because he doesn’t have top end velocity on his throws. What Henne does have is the ability to put touch on his short and intermediate throws hitting receivers in stride. Throws a nice deep ball over top the defense, will rarely underthrow a receiver long and if he misses will put it in a place where an interception is unlikely. Can be rattled with the blitz and although he has had some huge wins in his college career does not show the consistency in tight spots or trying to lead his team from behind. What impresses me most about Henne is the way he took command in Mobile at the Senior Bowl and operated the two-minute offense. Nearly every quarterback there was looking towards the sidelines or a little flustered but Henne took charge. Was similar to what Jason Campbell did a few years ago in Mobile and it helped his stock.

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