Jawaan Taylor Rooting for UF Teammates in Draft While Pushing for C.J. Henderson to Jaguars

Jawaan Taylor isn't coy about his hopes for the Jacksonville Jaguars to land a former teammate next week.

For two seasons, Jacksonville Jaguars second-year right tackle Jawaan Taylor strapped on the blue, orange, and green each Saturday as he took the field in The Swamp alongside his Gators brothers in arms. 

Among those who he stood alongside in battle each weekend? 2020 NFL Draft prospects C.J. Henderson and Jabari Zuniga, each of whom is hoping to hear their names called early in next week's draft.

Henderson is regarded by many as the draft's top cornerback after Jeff Okudah, while rumblings throughout the week have suggested some teams even rank him higher than the Ohio State star. Due to Jacksonville's major need at cornerback, and the team's affinity for drafting Gators, Henderson has been constantly linked to the Jaguars this offseason. 

And if Taylor can have it his way, that connection will turn to reality by next Thursday night.

"Of course, I am pushing for him. I played two years with him in college, and I’m looking forward to hopefully suiting up with him again. I am pushing for him a lot," Taylor told local media in a Zoom call Tuesday.

Henderson's stock has soared since he put forth an elite performance at the NFL Scouting Combine. The 6-foot-1, 204-pound corner ran a 4.39 40-yard dash and recorded a 37.5-inch vertical jump along with a 127-inch broad jump, displaying top-tier athleticism that has many thinking he can be a Pro Bowl-level cover man at the next level. 

If you ask Taylor, he will let you know that what Henderson brings to the table isn't limited to his athleticism, either.

“First off, he is a great kid. He works extremely hard," Taylor said. "Of course, everyone knows how athletic he is and how good he is on the field, but he is also very good mentally, and he knows the game of football."

As for Zuniga, the versatile defensive lineman did battle with Taylor each day in practice as the two worked on their craft in offense vs. defensive drills. Taylor thinks the 6-foot-3, 264-pound Zuniga can present a lot of value to an NFL defense, regardless of if it is in Jacksonville or elsewhere. 

What is primarily working in Zuniga's favor, Taylor said, is his experience. He has played in multiple defensive schemes and for multiple coaching staffs, and has accumulated 24 starts in the last three seasons despite missing most of 2019 with an ankle injury.

“For one, he’s a very strong guy, athletic, physical. He knows the game of football extremely well," Taylor said. "He played under Coach [Jim] McElwain and Coach [Dan] Mullen. He has a lot of experience, a lot of starts under his belt. He has valuable experience and brings pretty much everything to the table. He is a great teammate as well and is a good leader on the defensive line. 

"We had a lot of battles in practice every single day. We got each other better, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he does at the next level.”

Only time will tell if Taylor is reunited with any of his past Gators teammates, but it is clear he would be in favor of it. And if those players would make as much of an impact on the Jaguars as Taylor did in 2019 when he started 16 games as a second-round rookie, the Jaguars would likely be all in on the idea as well.

Jacksonville currently holds 12 draft picks in next week's draft, including two in the first round (No. 9 and No. 20).