C.J. Henderson becoming shutdown cornerback for Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars seem to have struck gold with the addition of C.J. Henderson.

With the ninth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars took C.J. Henderson, a talented cornerback out of Florida. Henderson undoubtedly had plenty of hype throughout the draft process, but he had plenty of skeptics as well. Most agreed that Henderson had plenty of athletic and coverage upside, but there were a ton of questions about his ability to help against the run.

However, through two weeks, nobody is worried about whether Henderson can tackle or not. He has immediately stepped in as the number one cornerback in Jacksonville and is shutting down his opponents. Henderson is quick and smooth in coverage and shows tremendous natural mirror ability. He is a sticky man-to-man defender who also shows impressive ball skills. Simply put, he appears to be a shutdown cornerback in the making.

Through two games, Henderson is credited with four passes defended and he also picked up an interception against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1. Also, a PFF stat suggests that he has been one of the best cornerbacks in the entire league. His 39% forced incompletion percentage is tied for the best in the league. Simply put, Henderson is already proving himself as a premier cover corner.

The Jacksonville Jaguars took a risk when they traded away star cornerback Jalen Ramsey last season. Ramsey was unhappy in Jacksonville, but he is clearly one of the best cornerbacks in the entire NFL. Trading away such an elite player at such an important position is a decision that could backfire in a big way. However, the presence of Henderson could help make that a strong decision.

The Jags were able to pick up two extra first-round picks from the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for Ramsey and were quickly able to find a potential replacement. It is still early, but based on his play at Florida and through two NFL games, Henderson looks like a star in the making.