Mock draft season comes in waves. The first comes when the off-season is fresh on everyone’s mind and the picks are all focused on team needs. The combine comes and goes and the media begins to catch up to the curve and the names begin to change. This is that second wave.
The Dallas Cowboys glaring need remains the secondary, but the position of choice, much like the soon-to-be departing Byron Jones, from safety to cornerback. Florida Gator C.J. Henderson is the choice at No. 17 in multiple mock drafts. Both John Owning of the Dallas Morning News and Mark Schofield of Touchdown Wire had the Cowboys finding their replacement. From Owning’s recent Dallas-centric three round mock:
Henderson has the processing ability to play any coverage, but he undoubtedly thrives in man coverage, where his quick feet enable him to mirror and stay in-phase with receivers. Henderson is extremely effective in press coverage, where his length and timing enable him to disrupt the time of a receivers’ route at the line of scrimmage – check out the above clip of Henderson disrupting LSU WR Jamarr Chase, who multiple CBs said was the best WR they faced in college, at the line of scrimmage.
In addition, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler also mocked Henderson to Dallas in his three-round mock.
Henderson’s on-field play vaulted him up draft boards, his performance at the NFL combine solidified it. His combination of size and speed is extraordinarily rare. Take it from Twitter user Kent Lee Platte who has been tracking the Relative Athletic Score for prospects for years.
C.J. Henderson so far👀👀👀👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/Y4RJN6gfM7
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 1, 2020
A perfect 10. The Cowboys will need some help in order for Henderson to fall for them, but they could certainly do a lot worse in a Byron Jones replacement than a cornerback who is capable of matching his athleticism.
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