Seantrel Henderson, once the 'next big thing,' getting another chance at Buffalo Bills training camp

Pittsford, N.Y — Seantrel Henderson was supposed to be next.

An NHL star, Heisman Trophy winner, MLB all-star and first-round NFL draft pick all put on the purple and gold at Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, Minn. There was Twins catcher Joe Mauer, all-star defenseman Ryan McDonagh, Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke and Cardinals receiver Michael Floyd.

Henderson was as promising as any athlete to come through the private, Catholic school located on the west end of Minnesota's smaller Twin City.

Henderson stood 6-feet-8-inches tall as a senior in high school and weighed just more than 300 pounds. His athleticism made him a mismatch for every player in the state, and he was so dominant that he was the first offensive lineman to ever receive USA Today's Offensive Player of the Year Award.

Henderson was the best high school recruit in the entire nation. He was being compared to Hall of Fame offensive tackles and had schools around the country fighting for his services. The question was whether Henderson would be a first-round pick in the NFL Draft, it was a matter of when it would happen.

And yet five years later, his most notable accomplishment is still that 2009 Offensive Player of the Year award from high school.

The Buffalo Bills' seventh-round pick from the 2014 NFL Draft was the next big thing, but from the time Henderson put his name on a letter of intent to play at the University of Southern California, nothing went his way, and he did himself no favors along the way.

The struggle to find stability
Henderson never played a down for the Trojans. Less than four months after signing his letter of intent, USC was hit with sanctions from the NCAA, banning the school from postseason play for two seasons. Henderson was free to sign with another school and quickly chose Miami, where he started nine games at right tackle as a freshman. So far, so good.

Toward the tail end of Henderson's freshman season Miami coach Randy Shannon, who recruited Henderson, was fired. Rumors began to swirl about a possible transfer for the former five-star offensive tackle, and he spent the spring limited by back problems. While he stayed at Miami under new coach Al Golden, Henderson needed back surgery in August before his sophomore year. He appeared in eight games in 2011 and started only two.

But maybe even worse for Henderson and the Hurricanes was that Miami was at the center of a college football controversy after a story from Yahoo! sports detailed possible violations by the school's athletic department. Miami imposed a one-year postseason ban on itself, just the type of ban Henderson left USC to avoid.

Maybe the injuries and sanctions made it easy for Henderson to become disenchanted with college football. The bad luck continued to follow Henderson into the summer leading up to his junior season.

Henderson's childhood friend was shot and killed in July of 2012, and a week later his aunt died of cancer. While driving to his friend's funeral, Henderson was in a car accident and suffered a concussion that forced him to miss 12 practices.

With everything stacked against him, Henderson started to turn on himself. Henderson finally worked his way back into the starting lineup as a junior, but he was suspended prior to the start of the 2013 season for the third time in his career. Henderson later told the Sun-Sentinel in Florida that all three suspensions were for marijuana use.

So Henderson's career at Miami ended quietly. The biggest accomplishments the five-star recruit would leave college with were two honorable mentions on the All-ACC team. He spent three games as a backup during his senior season with the Hurricanes, and suddenly a player once thought to be a sure first-round draft pick wasn't even a lock to get drafted.

Squandering his chances
Billy Turner sat at a table at Lucas Oil Stadium during the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine and represented the opportunity Henderson had let slip away so many times.

Turner, who played against Henderson in high school, was passed over by most major college football programs. He wasn't as big as Henderson or as talented. Minnesota tried to recruit Turner, but only after missing out on Henderson.

"He went to Miami and they called me and I said, 'You guys missed the boat,'" Turner said.

So instead, Turner went to North Dakota State. While Henderson couldn't fend off distractions or stay on the field, Turner made the most of his opportunity, starting as a true freshman and winning three FCS national championships.

"I mean, he's what, 6-8, 340 pounds coming out of high school?" Turner said. "I was 6-5, probably 285. I didn't get the looks like a lot of other guys. There were a lot of guys coming out of Minnesota who were pegged higher than me."

But it was Turner who heard his name called on in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft, while Henderson waited around deep into the third day. After failing his drug test at the NFL combine and reportedly leaving his pro day early, it was no guarantee that Henderson would even get drafted. Most thought he had used up all of his chances.

One last shot
In the NFL, a superior talent always gets another chance. That's why the Bills took a shot on Henderson in the seventh round of the 2014 draft. Despite all of the trouble that followed him throughout college, Henderson still showed flashes of dominant ability. His strength and movement skills remain special, and anyone who can tap into that potential will have a star.

"He's a talented guy," Whaley said on the John Murphy Show Friday night. "We feel that, again, if he didn't have those demons, he would have been probably in the first round."

With starting left tackle Cordy Glenn out with an illness, Henderson will open camp as the Bills' starting left tackle. After everything he went through, he is landing right where everyone expected him him to back when he was dominating at Cretin-Derham.

For the first time in a long time, Henderson is catching a break. Now the only question is whether he's willing to help himself and take advantage of this opportunity. Because if he doesn't, there may not be another one.


(syracuse.com)