2020 NFL Draft: Putting a letter grade on all 32 first-round picks
52. Scouting Report. Florida. C.J. Henderson. 9. player. Pick Analysis. CB
The Jacksonville Jaguars could have gone in many different directions with this pick. All of the wide receivers and three of the big four offensive tackles were still available and I don’t think it would have been a bad idea to surround quarterback Gardner Minshew with some more talent. That being said, I do like the selection of C.J. Henderson here.
After trading away both Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye in the last calendar year, the Jags had an obvious need at the cornerback position. Okudah is the clear top cornerback in the 2020 NFL Draft class, but Henderson is the obvious number two guy at the position.
Related Story. Analyzing Henderson to Jaguars. light
Henderson is an extremely active and athletic defensive back who shows obvious athleticism in the secondary. He is extremely smooth in coverage and shows incredible natural ball skills. Henderson is an incredibly instinctive player who changes directions quickly and has tremendous upside in man-to-man coverage.
Henderson gets knocked for his unwillingness to come up and support the run, but he is extremely physical in coverage. Honestly, his run support issues are not a huge concern for me. The Jaguars needed a cornerback who can lock up his side of the field and compete against the top-tier receivers in the NFL. Henderson undoubtedly has the upside to become that guy.