The NFL Draft is this week, which means it’s the time of the year where everyone rushes to get in their final mock draft of the season before the picks go live Thursday, April 23.
Despite not having a typical pre-draft process one Gator’s name continues to rise up draft boards as the big day approaches. Cornerback C.J. Henderson is now regarded as the second-best cornerback in the draft behind Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah. Henderson was generally considered a first round pick even before he declared early for the NFL Draft and he has cemented that in a truncated run up to the draft.
At the combine, Henderson ran a 4.39 40-yard dash, bench pressed 225 20 times, had a 37.5” vertical jump, and a 127” broad jump.
A few NFL Draft analysts and experts have Henderson going as high as No. 10 to the Cleveland Browns. Sports Illustrated’s Peter King released his one and only mock draft this week and slotted Henderson higher than most have in this process at No. 9 to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jaguars have a long history of drafting Florida Gators in the first round. It started in 1998 with Fred Taylor. The Jaguars took Reggie Nelson 21st overall in 2007 and Derrick Harvey 8th overall in 2008. More recently Dante Fowler was selected 3rd overall and Taven Bryan 29th overall in 2018.
Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network is a bit lower on Henderson than some. He has Henderson ranked as the No. 21 prospect in the draft, that’s not to say he will be drafted No. 21, just that Jeremiah views him as the 21st best prospect in the class. Jeremiah Wrote:
“Henderson is an extremely explosive and athletic cornerback prospect out of Florida. He played outside and inside on the games I studied. He is very physical in press coverage, landing a two-hand jam consistently. He is extremely loose and fluid to open up and mirror all over the field. He’s hardly ever out of position and possesses rare makeup speed when he is caught in a bind. You see that same burst when he’s in off coverage and the ball is thrown in front. He does need to improve on finding the ball down the field, as he’s often a little late to look back. The major concern with this player is tackling. He has way too many misses and that must be improved. Overall, Henderson has some elite traits and could emerge as the top cornerback in this class, but his tackling must be addressed.”
There’s no doubt that Henderson will be the first Florida Gator to hear his name called and very little doubt that he will hear his name called on Thursday night in the very first round.