Video: Dan Mullen Sounds Off on Jaguars Selecting Gators CB CJ Henderson
C.J. Henderson received a surprise during his introductory Zoom teleconference with the Jacksonville Jaguars media on Thursday night, shortly after being selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
He received a question from a familiar voice: Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen.
"What's up C.J.?" Mullen began after being connected to the call after reporters finished up their first wave of questions. "Hey, whole family is here. Excited to have you staying home in Florida! How does it feel to stay home in the state of Florida?"
Henderson will begin his pro career less than two hours away from the University of Florida, where he played under Mullen for the final two years of his college career. Prior to attending UF, Henderson hailed from Miami and attended Columbus High School. The Sunshine State is all he knows.
And being so close to the University that groomed into a top ten pick in the draft, Henderson plans to stay connected with the school.
"Feels great," Henderson responded. "You'll see me back at Florida a lot now."
Henderson is the latest of plenty of former Gators to end up in black and teal in recent years. In 2019, the Jaguars selected right tackle Jawaan Taylor in the second round, and previously, Jacksonville drafted defensive tackle Taven Bryan in 2018 and linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. in 2015.
The 6-1, 204 lb. cornerback carries plenty of accolades into Jacksonville and looks to reshape a secondary that has seen both of it's 2019 day one starting cornerbacks get traded away since September, in Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye.
After earning back-to-back All-SEC honors to wrap up his college career, intercepting six passes and defending another 20 in his three-year Gators career, Mullen believes Henderson stands above the rest.
"Congratulations, we're fired up, we're excited for you. I'll tell you what, that might be the best pick the Jags have made in a long, long time," Mullen continued. "So I know they're going to be thrilled and everybody in Florida's excited to have you at home."
Getting to know the Jacksonville media, reporters were curious to find out where Henderson believes he has the most room to grow while he ascends to the NFL level. Henderson was soft-spoken and mentioned that he could work to improve every aspect of his game, noting that he doesn't believe he's near his full potential yet.
Looking for further examples, Mullen was asked the same question regarding his former star cornerback. Mullen gave Henderson some constructive criticism, stating that he can continue improving on his ball skills to create explosive plays.
However, given his work ethic, Mullen is a believer that Henderson will tune that up.
"Well I think one thing you see for him, CJ is a perfectionist," said Mullen. "I think one thing they'll see is he's one of the first guys on the practice field, definitely one of the last guys to leave every day. Working on his skill, working on his technique, and working on ways to improve, and you know, I know he's a guy that has a competitive nature, wants to be the absolute best of the best."
