Beat Chat: Q&A on Jaguars Cornerback CJ Henderson With AllGators

As we get to know each of the Jaguars new draft picks, JaguarReport talks with the campus writers from each of their schools. First up, CJ Henderson.

To help fans get more acquainted with the Jacksonville Jaguars' latest draft picks, we are going to speak with publishers from throughout the Maven network to get the low-down on each of the newest Jaguars.

First off, cornerback CJ Henderson. 

Henderson was drafted with the Jaguars first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, No. 9 overall. The former Florida Gators corner will make the short trip from Gainesville with the opportunity to start day one. We talk with Zach Goodall of SI's University of Florida site, AllGators.

Q: Let’s just ask the obvious one first. Is Henderson worthy of a Top-10 pick?

Goodall: I think an argument can be made either way. Tristian Wirfs and Jedrick Wills would have made sense to go ahead of Henderson, but at the same time I think Henderson offers more value than Derrick Brown who went No. 7 overall. From a talent and upside perspective, Henderson makes sense as a top 10 pick, and those who are skeptical of that need only take a look at his 2018 tape for justification. He played well in 2019 too, but an early ankle injury put a damper on his season and he checked out early instead of playing in the Orange Bowl.

Q: Henderson was the only Florida junior to declare early and Dan Mullen said when you’re a first round pick obviously it’s a good choice. But that still means he’s young. What is his ceiling?

Goodall: All you have to do is look at Henderson's accolades (multiple All-SEC honors) at cornerback following a transition from playing running back in high school, pair that with his top-tier athleticism, and length, and you can understand that his upside is through the roof. Being so young and still relatively new to playing cornerback full-time, he has plenty of room to grow at the position.

Q: What’s your favorite CJ Henderson play that encapsulates what kind of player he is?

Goodall: That's a tough one. His stretched-out pass breakup in the endzone while covering LSU's Ja'Marr Chase in 2019 was spectacular, putting all of his physical traits together to prevent a touchdown from a fantastic duo in Chase and quarterback Joe Burrow. He made a similar in deep boundary coverage against LSU in 2018, covering Justin Jefferson. Though, his instincts at cornerback - especially given he's still a bit fresh to the position full-time - can especially be seen covering Emmanuel Hall against Missouri in 2018 where he undercuts a dig route from the outside for a pass-breakup. Those types of plays aren't easy at all, and they require guts.

Q: The 2019 regular season, quarterbacks threw Henderson's way less than 20% of the time. What makes him so scary?

Goodall: He's sticky. I'll get repetitive but his athleticism and instincts at cornerback are superb and quarterbacks know he's more than likely to make a play on the ball. In 2018, Henderson allowed a passer rating of 49.4 according to Pro Football Focus - whereas, a quarterback would post a passer rating of 39.6 if he spiked the ball at the snap on every play. 

Q: One of the knocks on Henderson’s tape is his tackling or lack thereof. Is that a viable concern season long or just hangover from the Miami game?

Goodall: The concerns are real, but at the same time a bit overblown. Henderson is long - lanky, even. He doesn't possess the same filled out-frame of Jalen Ramsey, so he simply doesn't produce the same amount of tackling power and strength of Ramsey and other notable cornerbacks. Though, Henderson has been called an "unwilling" tackler by some - that simply isn't true. He was used in blitzing situations and made tackles in that respect. He chased down what looked like a walk-in touchdown on Tennessee tight end Austin Pope in 2018, forcing a fumble on a last-second tackle. And recently, he made a clutch 3rd-and-short tackle on Justin Jefferson against LSU in 2019 to force a punt.

pic.twitter.com/fm652238wO

— Zach Goodall (@zach_goodall) April 5, 2020

Q: Henderson is notoriously quiet. What other ways does he help lead the locker room and his team?

Goodall: Henderson leads by example rather than with his mouth. He carries a first on the practice field, last off mentality and he commands the respect of his teammates with his play.

Q: A first round pick with that sort of talent can sometimes feel they already know what to do. Will Henderson want to do his own thing or will he soak up coaching?

Goodall: I can't speak for Henderson but he appears to be the type to take coaching well as he wants to continue perfecting his craft. Again, it's that first on the field, last off mentality. He constantly wants to get better. Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham called Henderson the best cornerback he's ever coached, in college and the pros. If he didn't take coaching well, I'm sure Grantham would have kept that thought to himself.

Q: As a true freshman, Henderson made an impact right away with the Gators. Based on his three year growth in Gainesville, do you feel he’s ready to do the same in the NFL?

Goodall: Absolutely, and he's going to need to considering Jacksonville's current cornerback situation. He should step into the Jaguars' CB1 role immediately and the expectations will be sky-high given his draft spot.