There have been recent reports that Panthers general manager Marty Hurney and coach Matt Rhule are looking to trade back in the draft and acquire more capital. Teams like the Raiders, Buccaneers, or Browns could be potential trade back partners which would then put Carolina picking in the mid-first round.
Cornerback is an obvious need for the Panthers, so let’s take a look at Florida’s CJ Henderson, who has been shooting up draft boards recently and has been the subject of some rumored interest by Carolina.
Scouting Report:
Henderson is one of the best man coverage corners in this class. He is truly special in coverage, as he possesses fluid hips, explosive footwork and tremendous ball skills that help him stick to wideouts like glue. He also possesses the physical traits to be an elite corner. At the combine, Henderson measured in at 6-foot-1, 204 pounds, clocked a 4.39 second 40-yard dash, jumped 37.5 inches vertically, put up 20 bench press reps and posted 127 inches in the broad jump.
Henderson is above average in zone as well, as he shows a quick trigger to explode downhill and makes a good break on the ball. However, sometimes he gets caught patrolling the flats and reading the quarterback’s eyes with too much anticipation. This means that a smart QB can take advantage of his eagerness and totally re-direct him out of his zone, opening up some major throwing lanes.
Although he is tremendous in coverage, Henderson does not bring quality tackling skills to the table. On film, you can see it’s not that he doesn’t know how to tackle, it’s just that he obviously doesn’t want to. Whether that’s due to injury or laziness is unknown, but it will be something the team who drafts him has to figure out.
Overall, Henderson is one of the best pure cover corners we have seen in recent years. He has gone up against top-level competition in the SEC and produced steadily.
Highlights:
Henderson vs. Florida State
Henderson vs. Missouri
Henderson vs. Vanderbilt
Henderson vs. Miami
Fit With the Panthers:
Henderson is a prototype cover corner who can make an immediate impact Week 1. Selecting Henderson would allow Phil Snow to run plenty of man coverage schemes and mix up his blitz packages to get consistent pressure on the quarterback. If the Panthers pick him, they will likely still have to go after another corner in free agency or the draft. However, pairing up Henderson with Donte Jackson and another quality addition could be the foundation of a solid corner group for years to come.
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