What Has Jaguars CB Coach Tim Walton Seen Out of Rookie CJ Henderson So Far?

Expectations were always going to be high for Jacksonville Jaguars rookie cornerback CJ Henderson. Not only was he a top-10 pick and the second-highest drafted corner in team history, but he was replacing the former face of the franchise in ex-Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

And while Henderson hasn't practiced since Tuesday due to an illness, which isn't COVID-19 related, the Jaguars staff has so far seen what they'd hope to get out of the No. 9 overall pick and their newest No. 1 corner.

Over the last three seasons at Florida, Henderson tallied 66 solo tackles, four sacks, six interceptions, and 20 pass breakups in 26 starts for the Gators. Henderson was named First Team All-SEC in 2019, along with second-team All-SEC during his freshman and sophomore seasons thanks to dominant displays in coverage and confidence that spread through the Gator's defense.

To go along with his production at Florida, Henderson also entered the draft as one of At the 2020 NFL Combine, Henderson ran the second-fastest 40-yard dash time for cornerbacks with a time of 4.39 seconds, jumped 37.5 inches in the vertical jump (top-10 among defensive backs and safeties) along with 127 inches in the broad jump, still good for top-10 among defensive backs.

So it's no surprise to the Jaguars to see right away that Henderson is an excellent athlete when given work on the practice field. But so far, the team has also seen technical growth from the young cover man.

"Well, he’s a very good athlete. He’s [got] great movement skills, he is smooth out of breaks, and he studies the game a lot. So, you know, the thing that I like is the technique," cornerbacks coach Tim Walton said Saturday.

"He came in and worked on his technique and I saw the improvement from the first few days moving forward of how he can improve each week, each day on the techniques and things that we ask per coverage.”

The book on Henderson coming out of Florida was that he had the size, speed, strength and agility to play a variety of coverages. But even with his immense physical talent, there is always a big jump for any rookie cornerback going from college to the NFL.

So far, however, Henderson has embraced the leap to the next level. Walton said he has continued to hone in on his technique instead of strictly relying on his physical skills, a lesson some corners take years to learn.

But for the Jaguars to have Henderson prepared to cover No. 1 wide receivers from the start of the season to the end, they will need the rookie to continue to develop his skill set as a technician. As of now though, Walton likes the skill set he sees from Henderson, especially when it comes to pressing at the line of scrimmage.

"Well, being patient at the line, in his press coverage, understanding when to use some of our techniques, our bail techniques, our palm stuff, and then when to use it and apply it and being patient," Walton said when asked about Henderson's biggest stride n his technique.

"He lets the game come to him and is real patient and [he has] been good with his eyes. That’s the thing with this league, everything is about deception on offense. So he’s able to put his eyes in the right place, good at his press technique, being able to be patient, not getting off-balance a lot and being at the right spot down the field on the receiver to put yourself in a position to make a play on the ball.”

Early in the process of Henderson's rookie year, the Jaguars are focusing on simplifying the game for him and teaching him good habits. While Henderson has said in interviews that the Jaguars' defensive scheme is actually fairly similar to the scheme he played in at Florida, the Jaguars still need him to get a knack for the way they want to teach techniques, coverages and philosophies. Some of the stuff Henderson did that worked at Florida either won't work at this level or simply isn't what the Jaguars want out of their cornerbacks.

But luckily for the Jaguars, Henderson has a mindset that is open to learning. He has long been lauded by the Jaguars for his love and commitment to football, and it is that same workman-like attitude that is going to decide whether his translation to the NFL is smooth or not.

“Oh he loves the game of football; he’s totally dedicated to the game of football. He’s into it probably more than most guys you know. It’s a high priority to him, he’s really dedicated to learning, studying the game," Walton said..

"He’s a football—he’s a gym rat when it comes to that stuff. So he does an excellent job of that and I have no question about the things that I’ve seen and me being around him."

No defender other than Josh Allen is more important to the Jaguars defense in 2020 than Henderson is. The Jaguars need him to play like a veteran and not a rookie, and they need it quickly. So far, so good on that front, but the true results will be known once the season starts.