The latest heir apparent to Antonio Gates, Hunter Henry signed his four-year rookie deal with the Chargers, the team announced on its website
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He’s the sixth member of the Chargers’ eight-man draft class to agree to terms. Joey Bosa and third-round center Max Tuerk are the only holdouts.
A second-round pick out of Arkansas and a player viewed as the top tight end in the 2016 class, Henry will succeed Ladarius Green as the player the Bolts are grooming to replace the resilient Gates. Green’s signing with the Steelers after four years of Gates apprenticeship created a sizable void that Henry will now attempt to fill.
With the Razorbacks, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound performer caught 116 passes for 1,661 yards in three seasons, the last finishing with San Diego’s No. 2 tight end winning the John Mackey award and being a consensus first-team All-American.
San Diego made a bigger investment in Henry than it did with Gates or Green, with the second-round selection being the first time the Bolts have used such a pick on a tight end since taking Mikhael Ricks in Round 2 in 1998.
Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images
San Diego is building new TE corp to rule the next ten years.