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Wayne Reese isn't trying to put undue pressure on Carlos Henderson with the NFL Draft coming up.

But Reese, the longtime Orleans Parish football coach, has seen enough players to be taken plenty seriously.

Reese said Henderson, whom he coached at McDonogh 35 and who starred as a wide receiver at Louisiana Tech, will "make a great pro player" and compared him to another one of his pupils.

"He's not as big as Marshall Faulk was when he came out of school," Reese said of the 5-feet-11, 199-pound Henderson, "but he could go toe-to-toe with him."

Henderson is fast but he's not quite ready to match the career of the Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Faulk, who played for Reese at Carver High School and became as dangerous a receiver as a runner in the NFL. Henderson does bear some resemblance, although he went from running back to wide receiver when he joined the college ranks.

Some scouts also compare him to another player used as a runner and a receiver: Percy Harvin. While he isn't likely to be a first-round pick like Faulk and Harvin, Henderson is a solid Day 2 choice with plenty of promise at the next level.



Henderson excelled in the Louisiana Tech spread offense in three seasons, averaging 19.6 yards per catch and scoring 30 touchdowns. He had a breakout year as a redshirt junior with 82 catches for 1,535 yards and 19 touchdowns. He rushed for 133 more yards and two scores and averaged 32.2 yards on 25 kickoff returns for the Bulldogs.

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burningmetal

This kind of player would be good to get in the 4th, maybe even 3rd round. I'd have no problem with it, because we do need some explosive play making ability in our offense. Snead and Thomas are very good, but far from explosive, and after them we have a lot of inconsistent, project type of receivers. I think this Henderson cat would fit in nicely in the slot, and possibly even help in kick returns.

Ginn is there now, but I don't see him sticking around long considering his history of drops. That was not an inspiring signing, but hopefully he'll at least help in the return game while he's here.

If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, the NFL would fine and suspend me.