Beyond The StatZ feat. Cedric Henderson

By: Nick Gradney (National Scout) @StatZ_G

North Shore’s EDGE Cedric Henderson (@H_Cedric8) is an underrated, yet intriguing prospect in the class of 2025. Henderson doesn’t have the typical measurements of a defensive lineman but he have a huge presence on the field. This kid isn’t just a speed rusher, he can play in different techniques and still be effective. He plays with such force and violent hands that most offensive lineman aren’t ready for post snap. Henderson is an excellent run stopper who displays great strength for an undersized athlete. He’s bendy coming off the edge, agile, strong and have a high motor for four quarters. Henderson is also a high character player who will be an asset to any program at the next level. Expect his recruiting profile to increase over the summer going into his senior year. Recently, I caught up with Cedric to discuss his football background. Take a look…

I want to know your first memory of playing football as a kid.

My favorite football memory as a kid was winning the Super Bowl with my friends.

2. Talk about the most influential person(s) in your life right now that keeps you level-headed? 

As of right now, the most influential person in my life that keeps me level-headed has to be my mother. Seeing her work every day pushes me to strive for greatness every day.

3. What are your game day rituals?

My game day ritual is listening to Poetic Justice by Kendrick Lamar. It keeps me level-headed before a game.

4. In detail, what’s the hardest part about being a student athlete these days with social media being a heavy influence?

The hardest thing is staying focused because with the use of social media, there are a lot of haters who try to bring us student athletes down, and social media gives them easy access to do so.

5. Going to a school like North Shore, the expectation is championship. Explain the feeling of coming up short last season and what can you do to improve your game going into your senior year?

The feeling of coming short just makes me feel as if, i’m letting down the players who came before me and laid the ground work for this dynasty to become what it is down. To improve my game, I can work on reading formations so which will give me a heads up of what I should expect to come before the play starts.

6. Describe your playing style and what current or retired NFL players you model your game after?

My playing style is more of a technical thing, trying to read formations to help me get a jump on the opposing team, and I would compare myself to brian burns.

7. The off-season in football is longer than most sports. What do you do to stay sharp in your craft? 

To stay sharp in the offseason, i try to do a lot of conditioning and weight lifting to stay keep me on my toes, but i also have a trainer I work with to stay ready.

8. What are your individual goals as a player?

My individual goal is to stay healthy the whole season because I tend to play through seasons not fully recovered.

9. If you weren’t an athlete, what could you see yourself doing and why?

If I weren’t an athlete, I could see myself focusing on getting my real estate license so I could become a realtor.

10. What would you like for college recruiters to know about you? 

Honestly, I just want them to know that I’m ready to work asap, and I love to compete, and by compete, I mean i’m ready to work against any and everybody in front of me for that top spot.

11. In your own words, define success.

Success is making it to a certain spot in life where you are stable and feel comfortable with the way you live physically, financially, emotionally, and mentally.