5 Reasons the 49ers Should Draft C.J. Henderson
The 49ers probably won’t draft a cornerback with the 13th pick, but they should.
The 49ers haven’t drafted a corner higher than the 58th pick since 2002, when they took Shawntae Spencer. Remember him? For the past 18 years, the 49ers have believed they could get by with mid-round talent and veterans in their 30s. They haven’t had a premium cornerback in his prime since Deion Sanders in 1994 -- the last season the 49ers won the Super Bowl.
Coincidence?
It’s time the 49ers rediscover the value of cornerbacks. Here are five reasons they must draft Florida cornerback C.J. Hendersin with the 13th pick if he’s available.
1. Corner is the 49ers’ biggest need. Not wide receiver or offensive line or defensive line. Corner. We learned this in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl when Richard Sherman gave up a 38-yard catch to Sammy Watkins and Emmanuel Moseley gave up a 44-yard catch to Tyreek Hill.
2. The 49ers secondary isn’t good enough. It’s the same secondary that was historically bad in 2018 when it intercepted just two passes -- an all-time low for an NFL defense. The only difference in 2019 was the pass rush. The 49ers added Dee Ford and Nick Bosa, and the secondary still got exposed at the end of the Super Bowl, because a pass rush can’t boost up a subpar secondary forever.
3. Cornerbacks are more important than ever. NFL offenses have evolved. They use more “empty” formations -- the quarterback alone in the backfield and five receivers on the field. Defenses need lots of corners to cover all those receivers. What’s more, empty formations feature quick passes, because the quarterback doesn’t have much protection -- just five offensive linemen. So he must throw the ball quickly, usually to a receiver running a bubble screen or a slant. Meaning defensive linemen often don’t have time to rush the quarterback. They spend most of the game chasing screens.
4. The 49ers need a high-level cornerback who can cover DeAndre Hopkins and D.K. Metcalf. The Cardinals traded for Hopkins in March, and he’s one of the best wide receivers in the league. The 49ers will have to face him twice a season. The Seahawks drafted Metcalf in 2019, and he caught 12 passes for 151 yards and one touchdown in two games last season against the 49ers. He’s 6’3” and runs a 4.33 40-yard dash. The 49ers have to face him twice a season, too. That’s four games every year against two tough wide receivers the 49ers can’t match up with.
5. Henderson is big, fast, quick and skilled enough to cover the league’s best wide receivers. He’s 6’1”, 204 pounds and he ran a 4.39 40 at the Combine. And he’s equally effective playing man-to-man coverage and zone coverage. The 49ers don’t have anyone like him. They have zone specialists who struggle in man-to-man coverage. Henderson would give defensive coordinator Robert Saleh more options and allow him to be more aggressive and call more blitzes.
Blitzes expose cornerbacks. Saleh didn’t blitz on third and 15 in the Super Bowl when almost every other defensive coordinator would have blitzed. Instead, he played passive zone coverage and hoped his pass rush would sack Patrick Mahomes. It didn’t, Mahomes completed a 44-yard pass and the 49ers lost the Super Bowl.
Of everyone the 49ers could take with the 13th pick, Henderson would give them the best chance to return to the Super Bowl next season, and actually win it.
