Kaden Henderson

Physical Profile

Verified at 6-1.5 and 218 pounds by 247Sports, listed 6-2/220 by ESPN and 6-2/225 on his senior MaxPreps card, with a weight progression of 195, 205, 215 and now 225 across four seasons. The headline trait is length: roughly 34-inch arms on a sub-6-2 frame, which is why the Myles Jack comparison keeps surfacing and why he can stack and shed blockers who outweigh him. He plays with bent knees and low pads from the first step to the finish, which combined with the reach lets him win leverage against tackles when aligned wide. Explosive first step, sharp corner bend at full speed, and genuine start-stop ability in space. The frame is not big; he will likely settle in the 225 to 232 range, which caps him as an off-ball backer or hybrid rather than a full-time edge in the SEC.

Play Style

Downhill, attacking defender who wants contact. From a wide alignment he gets off the ball like a defensive end, dips the shoulder and flattens to the quarterback, then chases plays from behind with real effort. When he stacks a block he does it low and with his hands, and he separates late to make the tackle rather than just occupying the blocker. In space he changes direction cleanly and squares up targets instead of lunging. In coverage he plays with his head up, sees crossers developing and drives on the throw, though his true zone-drop volume at Jesuit is limited. The identifying trait on film is intent: every rep is played to strike, and that same aggression is the source of his occasional form breakdowns.

Strengths

• Elite pass-rush tools for an off-ball linebacker: aligned in wide-nine looks as a junior and turned that into 9 sacks, 13 TFL and 20 hurries in 10 games, bending the edge at full speed and using his 34-inch arms to convert speed to power against tackles.
• Violent, decisive striker at the point of contact. He arrives with momentum and plays through ball carriers and blockers alike, which shows up in 5 career forced fumbles and 2 recoveries. He relishes block destruction rather than avoiding it.
• Real coverage background, not just a projection. His 2024 tape shows him keeping his eyes on his responsibility, sifting through traffic and closing hard on receivers, and he has 3 career interceptions and 9 PBUs. 247Sports' Andrew Ivins specifically credits him with the awareness to pick up crossers.
• Processing and trigger speed. Multiple evaluators describe him as heady and instinctive, reading and reacting quickly enough that his range plays larger than his timed speed, and his quick-start ability lets him close gaps before blockers arrive.

Areas to Improve

• Finishing technique: he sometimes skips the wrap-up and throws a shoulder instead, which produces highlights in high school but will yield missed tackles against SEC backs and slot receivers who bounce off contact.
• Positional definition. Nearly all of his 2025 film is as an edge rusher, so his reps stacking and shedding interior blocks from a true off-ball alignment are thin. He needs a full spring of WILL work reading pullers and fitting the run from depth.
• Discipline near the quarterback: he tends to leave his feet to bat passes rather than staying grounded and finishing the rush, which lets mobile quarterbacks escape.
• Mass and anchor. At 218 to 225 he can be leveraged by bigger linemen when they get square on him; he compensates with length and effort now but needs 8 to 12 pounds of functional strength to hold up when a 320-pound guard climbs to him.

College Projection

Texas A&M has signed him as a WILL linebacker with a hybrid designation. Year one (2027) should be core special teams plus a designed sub-package role as a blitzing linebacker or stand-up rusher on passing downs, where his edge tools translate immediately. By 2028 he projects as a starting weak-side linebacker in a three-down role once his run fits from depth and his tackling consistency catch up to his athleticism. The staff's recent run of edge-rusher development (six pass rushers drafted across 2025 and 2026) is a meaningful part of the fit. Injury note: he missed five games as a junior, so his durability across a full 12-game SEC season is unproven.

NFL Outlook

Genuine NFL profile. The template is the modern hybrid linebacker who can rush, cover and run, and his length-to-frame ratio and pass-rush production are rare for an off-ball prospect. If he adds mass to the 230 range while keeping his bend and cleans up his wrap-up, he has Day 2 draft ability with a Day 1 ceiling in a league that pays for linebackers who can blitz and cover tight ends. The risks are the ones already on tape: sub-6-2 height, a frame that may never carry 240, and tackling form. Three-year timeline to the draft is realistic given the early sub-package role.

Best Fit

A multiple, pressure-oriented defense that uses its WILL as a movable piece: walked up on the edge on passing downs, dropping into hook and curl zones on early downs, and green-dogging on blitz calls. Texas A&M's willingness to play him as a hybrid rather than boxing him into a MIKE or a full-time edge is the right usage. Schemes that ask their linebackers to sit and read from six yards deep in a two-gap front would waste his best trait, which is getting off the ball and creating disruption before the play develops.