NFL Henson displays his skills to Texans

The former Yankees prospect wants to try pro football.
HOUSTON (AP) -- Now that the introductions have been made, it's time to get down to business for Drew Henson, his NFL suitors and the Houston Texans.
The former New York Yankees third base prospect ended his three-year hiatus from football Thursday by showcasing his skills for representatives of 20 teams at the Texans' practice bubble.
The reason they were in Houston is because the Texans took a chance on him in the sixth round of last year's draft, despite his insistence he was sticking with baseball.
As Texans general manager Charley Casserly predicted last April, Henson had a change of heart this month and walked away from $12 million remaining on his baseball deal to play football for the first time since his junior year at Michigan in 2000.
"I just want to take the next few days to meet the coaches and get a feel for the organizations," Henson said. "I'm real open-minded about this."
Their relationship
Henson and the Texans have a potentially symbiotic relationship. He essentially can pick and choose from among interested teams, unlike almost any other sought-after rookie whose fate is determined by the draft.
Likewise, Henson can work out a deal with another team only as long as they can agree to a trade with Houston. Casserly won't say what he's looking for, although a first- or second-round pick would be nice.
"Not many players have this chance to have any kind of control over where they go," Henson said. "That's probably the main reason we're going this route."
Henson threw about 75 passes to four receivers during his workout Thursday. The Texans will make him further available for private workouts with interested teams in the coming weeks.
"He had an extremely good workout," said Miami Dolphins general manager Rick Spielman. "He showed very good arm strength and he was very accurate with all of his throws."
No deal until March 4
A deal can't happen until March 4 under NFL rules. And if there's no trade before the April 24 draft, he goes back into the hopper, where he's been projected as a late first-round pick. Henson's workout came near Reliant Stadium, where the quarterback he once backed up at Michigan -- Tom Brady -- was the Super Bowl MVP two weeks ago.
Coaches Mike Sherman of Green Bay and Mike Mularkey of Buffalo were in attendance. So was Houston-area resident Roger Clemens, one of Henson's former Yankees teammates. Henson, who turns 24 today, never developed like Yankees projected when they lured him from football with a $17 million, six-year deal in 2001.
The Bills were the most conspicuous presence, sending Mularkey, general manager Tom Donahoe and new quarterbacks coach Sam Wyche.
"You don't make any final decisions on these, you can only eliminate guys," Wyche said. "I don't think anyone eliminated him today."