The Seattle Seahawks didn't necessarily need a wide receiver so late in the 2026 NFL draft, but taking Emmanuel Henderson Jr. from Kansas made complete sense. He is nearly 6'1" but only weighs 185 pounds. He is fast but lacks elite speed.
What Henderson will need to work on is gaining mass. He won't hold up being less than 200 pounds, no matter if he runs only post patterns or not. He ran a 4.44 40-yard dash and has a 35-inch vertical, and those are solid numbers that could translate to the NFL, but he will be nothing more than a special teamer to begin with.
Seattle might have chosen Henderson a bit more with an eye on him being a kick returner. The issue is that the job is taken for Seattle in the person of Rashid Shaheed. If needed, Henderson could return a kick or two, as he did in college.
Seattle Seahawks choose Emmanuel Henderson Jr. from Kansas in the sixth round
He also averaged a whopping 20.5 yards per catch in 2024, though he only caught passes. He averaged 21.4 yards per kick return on five returns.
In 2025, he was named Third-Team All-Big 12 at wide receiver and First-Team return specialist. He had 766 yards receiving (17 yards per catch), but averaged 325.3 yards per kick return. He also returned a kick for a touchdown.
Seattle Seahawks fans might see Emmanuel Henderson Jr. as simply the same kind of player as Ricky White III, a late-round choice in 2025, and that wouldn't be wrong. If Henderson makes the team, he will need to do so as a special teamer.
But he could be, for lack of a better word, special in that aspect. He isn't going to dislodge Shaheed as a returner, but Shaheed might be needed more as a wide receiver in 2026 and beyond. If that turns out to be the case, Henderson could be a difference-maker returning kicks.
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