Ravens rookie fourth-round pick Willie Henry already has a rare distinction in his young NFL career.
The Michigan product is one of very few players to have suited up for both Harbaughs – John and Jim. That's a pretty fortunate college-pro coaching combo.
Outside of former Ravens wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who joined Jim and the 49ers the year after beating them in Super Bowl XLVII, there's not another player that comes to mind as having played for both brothers.
On the day he was drafted, Henry said he was "ecstatic" to go play for another Harbaugh.
"They're two great coaches that know what they're talking about and have great schemes," Henry said.
Now, after more than a month with John, Henry has more of a sense of what both coaches are about.
"One [similarity] that I can tell off the bat is they love football," he said. "Both guys love football players and love guys that come out here and compete every day."
Henry hasn't been in a game with John yet, but when it comes to practice intensity, he said they're even.
"Jim's out there in cleats during practice," Henry said. "But John is out there right behind us and watching our drills."
The Harbaughs aren't Henry's only prior connection to the Ravens. Henry's coordinator at Michigan was Greg Mattison, who was Harbaugh's defensive coordinator in Baltimore for two years (2009-2010). Mattison took over after Rex Ryan left for the New York Jets.
Henry said being groomed by Mattison has already given him a head start in his NFL career, as he knows some of the verbiage and different stunts and player combinations up front.
"I've had a lot of great coaching," he said. "That's going to help me a lot."
