Player Breakdown: Jordan Henderson

     With so many teams making the pass an intricate part of their offense, there are an inordinate amount of receivers putting up big numbers.  But gaudy numbers doesn't automatically make you a play-maker.  How quickly you get off the line, how precise your routes are, if you catch the ball away from your body; those are things that make a receiver a difference maker.  Barnstable's Jordan Henderson has shown the ability to do all that and more.  Not only has Jordan past the 1000 yard receiving mark, he has also scored 12 touchdowns, six of which have been for 30-yards or more.  Here we take a closer look at some of the attributes that make Jordan such a nightmare for defensive backs.

• Route Running - Good with room for improvement.  Jordan is one of the best at driving defenders back.  He does a good job running his routes at full speed even on the few times the play isn't going to his side, and during his initial push from the line, he is sturdy and aggressive.  He wastes very little energy getting in and out of his cuts, forgoing wiggles and "moves" and instead relying on his speed, which is the correct thing to do.  There are times he will telegraph where he is going, either with his head or shoulders, but it isn't something that I consider a problem or a flaw at just yet.  When he rids himself of that habit, he'll be the best route runner on whatever college team he ends up on; he's that talented.
• Initial Burst - Good speed coming off the line.  9 times out of 10 Jordan will stay low coming off the ball, wasting little to no energy.  This burst helps with his route running; because he is so quick off the line, there are times he completely swallows up defensive backs while they're still in their backpedal.  
• Hands - Love the way he catches the ball.  On short routes, he is able to make the catch away from his body no matter where it's thrown.  You can tell Jordan has caught a lot of balls in his spare time, as extra velocity on a pass doesn't effect him in the least bit.  On the deep ball, he is able to keep a good amount of space between his body and the ball, lowering the chance of the pass bouncing off his pads.  He receives his passes from D.J. Crook, our top rated quarterback, which means he is getting a spiral thrown to him much of the time, but the way he catches the ball is so instinctive and natural it's unfair to chalk his talents up to that. 
• Ball Skills - Very good in this department as well.  He isn't afraid to go up for the ball, and will come down with it the majority of the time despite not being very tall.  He excels while the ball is in the air.  Jordan has the ability to recognize where the ball is headed early, allowing him to change his course or slow/speed up.  A perfect example of this was his touchdown against Everett, where he appeared overthrown, but accelerated past the defensive back and caught the ball in perfect stride.
• Speed - Jordan has a good mix of speed and quickness, but i think he can get even faster.  He has good form and can separate from 95% of corners he faces with ease.  Very rarely will you see a defender be able to stay with him stride for stride unless he's been given a 10-yard cushion.