Could Delaware native be a Sproles replacement for Eagles?

The Eagles drafted Donnel Pumphrey last spring as a potential replacement for Darren Sproles, both as a receiver out of the backfield and as a kick returner.

That hasn't worked out so far, and could lead the Eagles to Wilmington native and A.I. du Pont High School graduate Quadree Henderson.

Henderson, who left the University of Pittsburgh after his junior season, is one of three players from Delaware expected to be selected in the NFL draft, which begins Thursday night with the first round, followed by Rounds 2 and 3 on Friday, and Rounds 4 through 7 on Saturday.

Henderson isn't a running back like Sproles. He played wide receiver at the University of Pittsburgh. But there are different ways to becoming an elite player with the ball in space on offense. That allows a player to take a short pass either over the middle or to the side, before a defender can pick him up. At that point, the runner can use his speed and moves to elude defenders trying to tackle him.

Sproles, for example, leads all active NFL players with nearly 20,000 all-purpose yards (rushing, receiving and kick/punt returns), and ranks sixth in NFL history with nine return touchdowns. He has more receiving yards than he does rushing yards.

Henderson has already established himself as a top returner at Pitt with seven return TDs in three seasons, a school record. And he is only the second player in school history with at least 2,000 all-purpose yards in a season. The other is NFL Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett.

The Eagles are at least intrigued. Henderson visited with them last week. He has also met with the Steelers, the Browns and the 49ers. 

"Being in the Philly market, Darren Sproles was somebody I watched growing up," Henderson said. "Like Sproles, I believe I can have a huge impact in several facets of the game, whether getting the ball in space on offense, or setting a tone with a game-changing return."

The other two Delaware players expected to be drafted are Henderson's teammate at Pitt in offensive tackle Brian O'Neill, a Salesianum grad, and University of Delaware defensive tackle Bilal Nichols, a Hodgson Vo-Tech grad.

Of the three, O'Neill will likely be drafted first. NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said O'Neill could go in the second or third round, calling him "a really gifted athlete" for a left tackle. O'Neill was a tight end at Salesianum and a basketball star there, too. 

Henderson, expected to be drafted on the third day of the draft, said he would love the chance to play in the NFL.

"I've been dreaming about this since I was 5 years old," Henderson said. "And that time is almost here. To almost be on an NFL team is an honor. I don't have anything to complain about. Everything is running smoothly, and I'm just being patient about it."

The Eagles would be a good landing spot for Henderson, who at 5 feet 8 inches, 190 pounds is similar in size and stature to Sproles (5 feet 6 inches, 190 pounds). Under head coach Doug Pederson, the Eagles have tried to take advantage of mismatches with versatile players on offense. They have also valued the importance of field position created by strong special teams units.

"Quadree Henderson is a wide receiver, running back, kick returner whose value really lies in the kick return game," Mayock said. "He's a space player from scrimmage, but really the value is in the return game."

And the Eagles will need to address the return game at some point soon, because Sproles' future with the Eagles is uncertain. He will turn 35 in June, he's a free agent and he's recovering from a torn ACL. Pederson said last month that he wants Sproles to return. But even if that happens, the Eagles could need a replacement for him as soon as 2019.

Henderson's position on offense doesn't matter as much as how he's used, whether it's as a slot receiver, or a receiver out of the backfield, or a runner on jet sweeps.

That's why Henderson said he also patterns his game after Kansas City's Tyreek Hill, a fifth-round pick in 2016. Hill, who's 5 feet 10 inches, 185 pounds, is the same type of player as Henderson. Listed as a wide receiver, Hill has shown that he can be used in several different ways. As a rookie, Hill had 593 yards receiving, 267 yards rushing, along with three return touchdowns (two on kicks, one on punts).

Last season, Hill was used almost exclusively at receiver. He had 1,183 yards receiving, 59 yards rushing, and a punt return TD.

In Sproles' last full season, in 2016, he had 438 yards rushing, 427 yards receiving and averaged 13.2 yards per punt return. Sproles tore his ACL in Week 3 last season.

As a sophomore at Pitt in 2016, Henderson had 631 yards rushing and averaged 10.7 yards per carry. He also had 286 yards receiving. He averaged 30.5 yards per kick return with three touchdowns and 15.8 yards per punt return with one TD.

His stats on offense weren't as good as his junior season, but Henderson still averaged 21.6 yards per kick return and 11.8 yards per punt return with 2 TDs.

"I see myself as a return specialist first, and a receiver second," Henderson said. "The NFL is all about field position, and I can definitely help a team get that on kicks and punts. But I can also play outside receiver, the slot and go in the backfield. 

"I can pretty much play anywhere."

As of now, the Eagles don't have a returner on the roster. The Eagles used Kenjon Barner as their kick and punt returner after Sproles' injury. But Barner is a free agent, and isn't expected back. 

It doesn't appear that Pumphrey, the Eagles' fourth-round pick last year, is the answer. He struggled during the spring organized team activities last year and in training camp, both as a running back and a returner. Pumphrey spent the season on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.

Pumphrey will be back this spring competing for a job, but it was somewhat telling last week when executive VP of football operations Howie Roseman didn't give him a strong endorsement. When asked about running backs Roseman wanted in last year's draft, he listed a few who went earlier like New Orleans' Alvin Kamara.

Then Roseman added: "Maybe a different guy than Pumph."

That could indicate that the Eagles don't see Pumphrey as a replacement for Sproles as a returner, either.

Henderson sees himself as being an elite returner. But he also knows that he has to get better as a receiver to be in the same category as Sproles or Hill. 

Henderson caught just 45 passes during his career at Pitt, with a high of 26 as a sophomore. He spent much of the winter at a training facility in Fort Lauderdale where he worked with longtime NFL receivers Anquan Boldin and Chad Johnson.

"It was a lot of speed work, a lot of lifting and a lot of running," Henderson said. "Those guys taught me a lot about playing receiver in the NFL."

Henderson also ran a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine in early March, which isn't great for a receiver, but certainly not bad.

Henderson reportedly lowered that time at his Pro Day at Pitt in March. Will that entice a team like the Eagles? Henderson said it should.

"I see myself as a unique player," Henderson said. "I can help a team in many different ways."

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.