FAYETTEVILLE — Tight end Hunter Henry and offensive lineman Denver Kirkland, two of the most heralded signees in Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema’s first recruiting class, both declared as underclassmen for the NFL Draft on Monday.
Henry’s decision, announced in a letter to Razorbacks fans and posted on the athletic department’s web site, was expected. A consensus All-American and Mackey Award winner as the nation’s top tight end, Henry is regarded as the top player at his position entering the draft, slated for April 28-30.
Kirkland’s televised commitment to sign with Arkansas live on ESPNU in 2013 was one of the early jolts of momentum for Bielema, who inherited a program with waning top-level talent coming off a 4-8 season under interim coach John L. Smith.
Kirkland’s decision to declare for the draft, revealed in a post to his Twitter account, was a little less expected.
Bielema said after Arkansas’ 45-23 Liberty Bowl victory over Kansas State last Saturday that he planned to talk to Kirkland in person later this week.
Junior running back Alex Collins, who is also weighing a decision to declare early, is expected to meet with Bielema on Wednesday morning in south Florida. The deadline to declare early for the draft is Jan. 18.
Bielema said in a news conference on Dec. 22 that Henry received a potential first-round grade by the NFL draft advisory board, and Collins and Kirkland received “mid-round” grades.
Henry, a 6-5, 253-pound junior from Little Rock’s Pulaski Academy, led the nation’s tight ends with 739 receiving yards on 51 catches. He scored three touchdowns.
Beyond his career totals of 116 receptions for 1,661 yards, Henry will likely be best remembered for his lateral after catching a pass on fourth and 25 in overtime of Arkansas’ 53-52 victory over No. 18 Mississippi.
Henry, about 11 yards short of the first-down marker, was being tackled when he blindly tossed the ball over his head toward the Arkansas line of scrimmage. The ball bounced into the hands of Collins, who ran for a first down to keep the Hogs’ hopes alive.
“After a great deal of prayer and reflection, I have made the very difficult decision to pursue my childhood dream and enter the 2016 NFL Draft,” Henry wrote. “I have grown so much as a person and player these past three years at the University of Arkansas. I have enjoyed my experience more than I could have ever imagined.”
Henry’s written announcement, titled “My Decision,” also included thanks to Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long, Bielema, offensive coordinator Dan Enos, tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr., his teammates, his high school coach, Kevin Kelley at Pulaski Academy, and “the entire Razorback Nation.”
Henry capped his career with five receptions for 92 yards in Arkansas’ Liberty Bowl victory. His 43-yard catch down the Arkansas sideline on the fourth play of the fourth quarter led to Collins’ third touchdown, a 14-yard run that put the Hogs ahead 38-23.
Kirkland, a 6-5, 340-pound lineman who earned Freshman All-America status in 2013, transitioned from guard to the prime left tackle spot this year. Kirkland, from Miami, played through a shoulder injury suffered in Week 2 and finished with 34 consecutive starts in the Liberty Bowl.
Kirkland and fellow junior Dan Skipper both entered the starting lineup for the Texas A&M game in Week 5 of 2013 and started every game for the last 2½ years.
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. rates Kirkland as the No. 5 offensive guard available for the draft.
Kirkland wrote that playing in the NFL has been a lifelong dream that it is time to pursue.
“The last three years at U of A has given me the opportunity to develop as a scholar, athlete and as a person,” Kirkland wrote. “For that I am forever grateful. … While pursuing my dreams will lead me to other places, my heart will remain in Fayetteville.”
The number of early declarers for the draft was 64 by the end of business hours Monday, according to NFL.com.
Last year, 74 underclassmen declared for the draft, down from the record of 98 early entrants in 2014, per
Declaring for the draft
A list of underclassmen declaring for the 2016 NFL draft:
NAME SCHOOL POS.
Dominique Alexander Oklahoma LB Bralon Addison Oregon WR Eli Apple Ohio State C Demarcus Ayers Houston WR Caleb Benenoch UCLA OL Joey Bosa Ohio State DL Tyler Boyd Pittsburgh WR Daniel Braverman W. Michigan WR Artie Burns Miami (Fla.) CB Kenny Clark UCLA DL Corey Coleman Baylor WR Maliek Collins Nebraska DL Pharoh Cooper S. Carolina WR Su’a Cravens USC LB Ezekiel Elliott Ohio State RB Leonard Floyd Georgia LB Kendall Fuller Virginia Tech CB Will Fuller Notre Dame WR Jared Goff California QB Glenn Gronkowski Kansas State FB Christian Hackenberg Penn State QB Vernon Hargreaves III Florida CB
Hunter Henry Arkansas TE
Jordan Howard Indiana RB Xavien Howard Baylor CB Germain Ifedi Texas A&M OT Myles Jack UCLA LB Quinton Jefferson Maryland DL Austin Johnson Penn State DT Cardale Jones Ohio State QB Cayleb Jones Arizona WR Damontae Kazee San Diego St. CB
Denver Kirkland Arkansas OL
Darius Latham Indiana DT Shaq Lawson Clemson DE Darron Lee Ohio State LB Steve Longa Rutgers LB Paxton Lynch Memphis QB Jalin Marshall Ohio State WR Alex McCalister Florida DE Yannick Ngakoue Maryland DL Robert Nkemdiche Ole Miss DL Paul Perkins UCLA RB Tyvis Powell Ohio State DB C.J. Prosise Notre Dame RB Alex Redmond UCLA OL KeiVarae Russell Notre Dame CB Noah Spence E. Kentucky DL Kelvin Taylor Florida RB Ron Thompson Syracuse DE Laquon Treadwell Mississippi WR Laremy Tunsil Mississippi OL Cleveland Wallace III San Jose St. CB Daryl Worley W. Virginia CB Scooby Wright Arizona LB