Carlos Henderson: The Wide Receiver Sleeper the 49ers Should Be Eyeing

Carlos Henderson is a name on few people’s lips ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine, but he is a sleeper the 49ers should be targeting.

Without doubt the 49ers’ weakest position group going into the offseason is wide receiver.

San Francisco has a legitimate deep threat in Torrey Smith but he again went under-utilized and finished the season on injured reserve. The fact Jeremy Kerley — added via a small-deal trade in preseason — finished as the 49ers’ leading receiver with 667 yards speaks volumes about the quality of pass-catchers available to the team in 2016.

Receiver is most definitely a position that will need to be addressed in the offseason. Yet with so many other holes on the roster and Kyle Shanahan’s talent for getting the most out of unheralded players such as Taylor Gabriel — who excelled for the Falcons in Super Bowl LI — wideout may not be top of the 49ers’ list of priorities.

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Yet even if the 49ers choose to wait until the mid-to-late rounds of the draft to bolster their receiving core, they can still add a starting calibre wideout in the form of Carlos Henderson.

Henderson spent his college career at Louisiana Tech, the same school where 49ers receiver Quinton Patton — a free agent this offseason — played his NCAA ball.

Ironically Henderson has been compared to Patton by NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. Yet his tape suggests he has a higher ceiling than a 49ers receiver who has consistently flattered to deceive.

The Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, Henderson racked up 1,535 yards and 23 total touchdowns in 2016, demonstrating an array of physical traits that should see him transition well to the next level.

Henderson has the speed to create separation deep but is also able to gain a step on defenders by adding some complexity to his routes.

Here against Texas Tech Henderson gears down midway through his route before quickly and fluidly transitioning back up to full speed to completely fool the defender and give him the space to show off his ball-tracking skills by looking a slightly underthrown pass into his grasp for a touchdown:

Henderson pairs his speed with extremely impressive athleticism and foot quickness, which allows him to make people miss on a regular basis and excel at picking up yards after the catch.

The best example of Henderson’s ability to create big plays after the catch came in the C-USA title game, shaking off a defender who is in his face immediately after making the reception to take this screen pass from his own 10-yard line to the Western Kentucky 10:

He puts that same foot quickness to use to gain inside leverage off the line and can make catches over the middle and in traffic, attacking the ball with his hands rather than allowing it to hit him in the chest.

However, one of Henderson’s biggest issues are the focus drops that have plaugued him from time to time.

One such drop came in the championship game with Western Kentucky on a play that would have been a touchdown had he caught it. Henderson again has a decent amount of separation and appears to have a clear path to the endzone, only for the ball to bounce off his hands:

Another concern some have with Henderson is his size, he is only 5-foot-11 and 191 pounds, but the doubts over his build have been exaggerated.

Indeed, despite his less than ideal height, Henderson can go up and climb the ladder and compete for the ball at its highest point. He does so here to haul in a ball to the sideline thrown well above his head:

The simple route-tree he ran at Louisiana Tech has been mentioned as a knock on Henderson as has the level of competition he faced in C-USA.

But, bar his height, Henderson has all the physical tools to develop into a starting receiver at the pro level and can seemingly be had for a relatively cheap price.

CBS Sports has Henderson rated as a fifth-round pick, a grade that seems far too low and one likely to improve should he show off his considerable athletic ability at the NFL Scouting Combine.

At this stage Henderson appears a significantly underrated receiver for a player who averaged 19.6 yards per catch over three college seasons.

Next: How Colin Kaepernick Opting Out Affects the 49ers’ Plans in Free Agency, the NFL Draft

The 49ers would be fortunate to get a player of his talents as late as the fifth round and should start strongly considering a receiver with the potential to become a significant impact player as early as day two of the draft.