MADISON, Wis. – The success of Wisconsin’s walk-on program is going to add another chapter this week with defensive end Matt Henningsen.

Walking on to the Badgers program after a successful career at Menomonee Falls, Henningsen received a scholarship during the 2018 season when he earned a starting spot as a redshirt freshman. He became a fixture on UW’s defensive line from that point, culminating with 34 tackles (six for loss) and 3.5 sacks in 13 starts last season. He earned a three-team all-conference selection for that performance.

BadgerBlitz takes a closer look at Henningsen’s NFL profile.

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While he wasn’t invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, Henningsen took advantage of his opportunity at UW’s Pro Day. He ran a 4.07 20-yard shuttle, 7.02 3-cone, 9-9 in the broad jump, 37-5 inches in the vertical jump, and did 22 bench reps. His shuttle time was better than anyone at his position who tested at the combine, his 3-cone time would have been third, and his vertical would have put him fifth (but first among defensive tackles).

Henningsen isn’t elite athletically, but he makes up for it by being an exceptional worker, excelling in his ability to move, fight through blockers, overcome cut blocks, and leaning on his effort and footwork to make tackles. His 84.3 grade from Pro Football Focus is solid, showing that he’s capable of jumping on a line and being stout against the run. He’s able to set edges or take up multiple linemen to open space for linebackers.

He's been praised by his coaches for being explosive at the snap of the ball with a quick first step, good footwork to fill gaps, and relentless worker as he fights off offensive linemen.

There’s also no questioning his intelligence, as Henningsen earned a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering with a 4.0 grade point average. He was a finalist for the 2021 William V. Campbell Trophy (also known as the "Academic Heisman").

Here are some of the strengths NFL.com listed for Henningsen.

· Explosive throughout his lower body.

· Posted 37 1/2-inch vertical leap and a broad jump of 9 feet, 11 inches at pro day.

· Always willing to engage in physical battles.

· Strikes quickly with first hands into blocker's shoulders.

· Able to extend and shed after the punch.

· Above-average short-area athleticism.

· Better bull rush charge than expected.

One of the reasons Henningsen isn’t higher in defensive end/tackle rankings is because of his shortcomings in the pass rush. Pro Football Focus rated it at 59.9 this past season, an average rating. Henningsen doesn’t have a lot in his arsenal other than his effective bull rush.

Scouts have been critical of Henningsen’s athleticism (labeling it average) and point to straight-line speed as a reason he struggled to consistently get around the corner. He also has been inconsistent with his hand usage and flexibility, which affects his pad level and leverage. Becoming more refined will serve him well since pure power doesn’t usually work at the NFL level.

Here are some of the weaknesses of Henningsen by NFL.com.

· Fires forward instead of reading block movement.

· Gets outmuscled by size and bounced out of his anchor.

· Finesse and skill are missing from his rush.

· Lacking upfield quickness with first step.

· Doesn't force protection to work very hard to mirror him.

· Missing necessary counters to factor when rush stalls.

Henningsen is better than most of the later-round defensive tackles, especially considering his upside, and will likely be a day three selection. Henningsen has visited the Cincinnati Bengals, the Miami Dolphins and has reportedly had several private workouts over the weeks leading into the draft. Blue Chip Scouting ranked Henningsen as the No.130 overall prospect in the draft, putting him somewhere between late fourth round to a fifth-round selection.

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