The War Room: Drew Henson, QB 
Drew Henson
Position: Quarterback, Third Base
Drafted: Round 6, #192 Overall
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 228
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
College: Michigan
Birthdate: February 13, 1980
NFL Comparison: John Elway
Strengths: Well, the Texans hope it isn’t hitting a curveball. Drew Henson was once a top prospect, someone the Texans kept a very close eye on years before the team ever took the field. With all apologies to Carson Palmer, Byron Leftwich, and the rest of the passers in the 2003 draft class, Henson is possibly the top quarterbacking prospect taken this year.
Henson has a lot of poise and an accurate arm. He threw only 7 interceptions at Michigan against 24 touchdowns. Henson is also an accurate passer, completing over 61 percent of his throws in his final college season. He has a quick release and more than adequate arm strength to play in the NFL. Henson knows how to make adjustments on the fly and hit receivers deep in stride. He’s also fairly mobile in the pocket, and his forty time is an estimated 4.75 seconds.
Areas of Concern: Henson is perhaps the greatest NFL quarterback who never was. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in 1998, ditched his senior season to play in the minors, and he has yet to make it as a Major League ballplayer. Like the Cowboys’ Chad Hutchinson last year, Henson will no doubt have some football rust he’ll need to wear off should he return to the gridiron.
Before he gave up football, Henson had very few areas of concern. He needed to refine his timing and mechanics, and he needed to do a better job of looking off safeties. He’ll also need to learn how to read NFL blitzes and stay level-headed through good times and bad.
2003 Expectations: Charley Casserly finally drafts Drew Henson. Five years have passed since he enrolled at Michigan, which is what has made Henson draft-eligible. David Carr, after the exhilaration of watching his team select him some weapons on Day One in Andre Johnson and Bennie Joppru, now sees four quarterbacks on the depth chart behind him.
Where will Henson fit in? He probably won’t in 2003, but no other team will have access to Henson for the year, giving the Texans all sorts of possibilities with any one of their three highly talented, young quarterbacks. Low risk and high potential reward, the only way for another team to obtain the rights to Henson for the next year will be via trade with Houston. With just the cost of a mid-sixth round pick, this selection puts the Texans is a very enviable position should Henson forgo his baseball career.
by Keith Weiland
YEAR ATT COM % YDS TD INT 2000 237 146 61.6 2,146 18 4 1999 90 47 52.2 546 3 2 1998 47 21 44.7 254 3 1 TOTALS 374 214 57.2 2,946 24 7 
Drew Henson 
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