Nonstopdrivel
5 years ago

Jackpot: Baylor’s Black Brings Versatile Skill-Set to Packers
 
Bill Huber

May 10, 2020

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Henry Black goes by the nickname “Jackpot.”

“My parents gave me the nickname before I was even born,” he said this week. “My mom hit the jackpot at the casino several times.”

Black hopes he’ll hit the jackpot with the Green Bay Packers. An undrafted safety from Baylor, Black was a part-time starter as a sophomore and junior before becoming a full-time starter as a senior. He recorded 62 tackles, one interception, four additional pass breakups and one forced fumble. Without a Scouting Combine invitation or a pro day due to the pandemic, Black had to stand on that 2019 resume.

“It wasn’t as stressful as I thought,” he said of his long wait on draft weekend. “I was just looking at it from a different standpoint of being blessed to even have an opportunity. I knew I probably wouldn’t be drafted, and if I did, it would probably be late rounds, so I already had my mind-set of being an undrafted free agent, coming in and getting ready to work.”

Black, a receiver and cornerback at Woodlawn High School in Shreveport, La., brings a versatile skill-set. He started some games at linebacker as a junior before becoming a full-time safety as a senior in the Bears’ 3-3-5 scheme. He chose the Packers because of how he’d fit in defensive coordinator Mike Pettine’s scheme.

“I’m a guy that’s real physical and tough,” he said. “You’re going to get the best out of me. I’m going to come in every day and work. I’m not going to cut you short. I’m going to give it all I have. I’m just a tough, physical, smart football player.”

Black was a favorite player of former coach Matt Rhule, calling him “my kind of guy.” Under Rhule, the team’s toughest players are awarded single-digit jerseys. In a team vote during training camp in 2018, Black was one of the first two players to get the honor.

“It was a blessing to be recognized by my teammates and coaches,” Black said. “You’ve got to be tough. You’ve got to be one of the toughest players on the team. That means coming to work every day, holding people accountable and being a leader. It’s about being a tough, competitive football player.”

Reaching the NFL had been Black’s dream for years. Still, he didn’t feel any additional pressure entering a make-or-break senior season.

“I just stayed prayered up, had faith and kept doing what I was doing every day. I kept working hard and was having fun with it. You only get one shot at it,” he said.

Black’s highest tackle totals came in two games against Oklahoma. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed only 19 completions in 35 targets (54.3 percent) for just 159 yards. His strong, understated play helped the Bears reach the Sugar Bowl.

“As a unit, it was all of us buying in, coming together, playing together as one unit and making each other better,” Black said. “That started way before it even happened. In 2017, when Coach Rhule first came in, he demanded us to play to a certain standard and we all ascended to that standard. We got better every year and I continued to improve.”

Black graduated in 2018 with a degree in health, kinesiology and leisure studies and spent 2019 working toward his master’s degree with the aim of becoming a coach once his playing days are over.

“I want to help kids,” he said. “That’s what my coaches did in high school. My coaches, Jerwin and Derwin Wilson, I met them going into my ninth-grade year of high school. Those guys took me under their wing, showed me the ropes, stayed on me every day and took me to football camps. They helped kids reach their potential.”

Bill Huber wrote:


UserPostedImage
yooperfan
5 years ago
Hopefully the Packers hit the "jackpot" with this UDFA.
He sounds like a winner to me.
Fan Shout
Zero2Cool (7h) : He's been sporting a ring for a while now. It's probably Madonna.
Martha Careful (10h) : We only do the tea before whoopee, it relaxes me.
wpr (11h) : That's awesome Martha.
Mucky Tundra (11h) : How's the ayahuasca tea he makes, Martha?
Martha Careful (12h) : Turns out he like older women
Martha Careful (12h) : I wasn't supposed to say anything, but yes the word is out and we are happy 😂😂😂
Mucky Tundra (13h) : I might be late on this but Aaron Rodgers is now married
Mucky Tundra (14h) : Well he can always ask his brother for pointers
Zero2Cool (16h) : Bo Melton taking some reps at CB as well as WR
Zero2Cool (16h) : key transactions coming today at 3pm that will consume more cap in 2025
Zero2Cool (9-Jun) : Jaire played in just 34 of a possible 68 games since the start of the 2021 season
Zero2Cool (9-Jun) : reported, but not expected to practice
Zero2Cool (9-Jun) : Jenkins has REPORTED for mandatory camp
Zero2Cool (9-Jun) : I really thought he'd play for Packers.
buckeyepackfan (9-Jun) : Packers releasing Jaire Alexander.
Mucky Tundra (8-Jun) : (Context: he wants his defense to create turnovers)
Mucky Tundra (8-Jun) : Giants DC Shane Bowen tells players to “be a damn pirate."
dfosterf (6-Jun) : Semper fi !
Cheesey (6-Jun) : This is why I have so much respect for those that have gone through battles
Cheesey (6-Jun) : I can't even imagine what that would have been like
wpr (6-Jun) : "Come on, you sons of bitches. Do you want to live forever?"
wpr (6-Jun) : Facing a line of machine guns 2 time medal of Honor recipient, First Sergeant Dan Daly told his men,
wpr (6-Jun) : Another detachment went into the Belleau Wood.
wpr (6-Jun) : On the 6th the Marines took Hill 142 but suffered terrible losses.
wpr (6-Jun) : It’s time to remember dfoster’s Marine brothers in Belleau Wood. The battle went on from June 1-26. Nearly 10,000 casualties.
packerfanoutwest (6-Jun) : Nick Collins and Morgan Burnett have signed with the PACK
packerfanoutwest (6-Jun) : he won't be wearing #12, maybe he will wear number two
packerfanoutwest (6-Jun) : He will fail this season, should have retired
Mucky Tundra (5-Jun) : Thus the cycle of Hall of Fame Packer QBs going to the Jets and then the Vikings is broken
bboystyle (5-Jun) : Rodgers to steelers on 1 year contract
Zero2Cool (5-Jun) : It's the cycle of civilizations. Get lazier, lazier, softer, softer and vanish.
Martha Careful (5-Jun) : great point. every aspect of society, including art, culture and sports has degraded.
dfosterf (4-Jun) : Green Bay sweep meant something to society about stopping pure excellence. We have the tush push now
dfosterf (4-Jun) : We old Martha.
Martha Careful (4-Jun) : *front four
Martha Careful (4-Jun) : Re frout four, I wish we had some Green "People Eaters" or a fearsome foursome
dfosterf (4-Jun) : *directions*
dfosterf (4-Jun) : Just don't ask him for driving direct
dfosterf (4-Jun) : Jim Marshall was an all-time great DE for the Purple People Eaters. Didn't like him. That's a compliment. RIP
Zero2Cool (3-Jun) : ooppppss
Zero2Cool (3-Jun) : “Kenny Clark played all of last season hurt by the way and got surgery to fix it in January”
Mucky Tundra (3-Jun) : @ByRyanWood How much did the injury affect him last fall? “A lot.”
Mucky Tundra (3-Jun) : @ByRyanWood Kenny Clark said he had foot surgery in January. Injured his foot in opener against Eagles and played through it all year.
Zero2Cool (3-Jun) : Golden is wearing guardian cap again. I bet he plays with it on too.
Mucky Tundra (3-Jun) : All the stuff I'm reading from Lions fans are pointing at his toe; he more or less has permanent turf toe in one of his big toes
dfosterf (3-Jun) : Kenny played through it, and a shame he gets little credit for that, imo
dfosterf (3-Jun) : Big men. I hope it's not the undoing of Kenny Clark
dfosterf (3-Jun) : Probably his toe. Pretty much a great center. Toe injuries are brutal to bigen
Mucky Tundra (2-Jun) : Lions All-Pro C Frank Ragnow retires
wpr (30-May) : It's all good.
Please sign in to use Fan Shout
2025 Packers Schedule
Sunday, Sep 7 @ 3:25 PM
LIONS
Thursday, Sep 11 @ 7:15 PM
COMMANDERS
Sunday, Sep 21 @ 12:00 PM
Browns
Sunday, Sep 28 @ 7:20 PM
Cowboys
Sunday, Oct 12 @ 3:25 PM
BENGALS
Sunday, Oct 19 @ 3:25 PM
Cardinals
Sunday, Oct 26 @ 7:20 PM
Steelers
Sunday, Nov 2 @ 12:00 PM
PANTHERS
Monday, Nov 10 @ 7:15 PM
EAGLES
Sunday, Nov 16 @ 12:00 PM
Giants
Sunday, Nov 23 @ 12:00 PM
VIKINGS
Thursday, Nov 27 @ 12:00 PM
Lions
Sunday, Dec 7 @ 12:00 PM
BEARS
Sunday, Dec 14 @ 3:25 PM
Broncos
Friday, Dec 19 @ 11:00 PM
Bears
Friday, Dec 26 @ 11:00 PM
RAVENS
Saturday, Jan 3 @ 11:00 PM
Vikings
Recent Topics
10h / Green Bay Packers Talk / Martha Careful

13h / Green Bay Packers Talk / Zero2Cool

15h / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

7-Jun / Green Bay Packers Talk / Mucky Tundra

6-Jun / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

5-Jun / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

5-Jun / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

1-Jun / Green Bay Packers Talk / wpr

29-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / Martha Careful

27-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / Zero2Cool

27-May / Random Babble / Martha Careful

24-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

23-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / greengold

23-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / earthquake

22-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

Headlines
Copyright © 2006 - 2025 PackersHome.com™. All Rights Reserved.