8/15/2018 football Edit

Rival Views: How big of an upside does LB Nick Henrich have?

Mike Farrell and Josh Helmholdt

Rivals.com

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals100 | State | Position | Team

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position

Countless debates go into each Rivals rankings update, and one particular topic we are spotlighting in today's Rival Views is the ascent of linebacker Nick Henrich into the Rivals250.

MORE: A look at the new five-stars in the Rivals100 | Video highlights of latest top 10 | Who is No. 1 WR?

FARRELL'S TAKE

I’ve been a fan of this kid’s film for a long time, and I think his junior film is outstanding. He sees the play so well and is so instinctual that as he adds size and speed, he could be a tackling machine at the next level. He gets skinny when he needs to, takes on blockers well and always seems to take the right angle to the football. He’s a sure tackler and wraps up well and I like the way he drops into coverage, as well.

Henrich could be one of those guys, like a poor man’s Luke Kuechly, who makes more plays because he knows where the football is going to be before it’s snapped. I was a big reason he moved up so much into the Rivals250, and he could end up being a Rivals100 guy after an in-person evaluation. That’s the one thing holding him back: We want to see him in person.

HELMHOLDT'S TAKE

I was not as big of a fan of Henrich's sophomore film as others were. He was quick, but I thought that masked some deficiencies in his game in the read-and-react and taking-on-blockers departments. His junior film, though, assuaged many of those concerns. I thought he made great strides between the two seasons, and he obviously got bigger and stronger without sacrificing that quickness.

The questions that remain for me have to do with seeing how that explosiveness stacks up against like-quality linebackers around the country, and I really just want to see him in-person to get a better feel for his frame and future physical growth potential. So, for now, I'm more conservative in my evaluation than others on our staff, but I also am wide open to raising my take on Henrich's potential going into the next six months.

I really look forward to seeing him this winter in one of the all-star games where we can gauge him side-by-side with the other top linebackers in the class. That will give us the best feel for how his skill set stacks up.

#RivalsRankingsWeek Schedule

Monday: Who could land in new top 10? | Top 10 players revealed | Who is top wide receiver? | Could McCoy make push for No. 1?

Friday: DL rankings | LB rankings | DB rankings | ATH rankings

Saturday: Team rankings breakdown