13. C. J. Henderson, CB, Florida
Height: 6’1″ Weight: 204
40-Yard Dash: 4.39 seconds
Bench Press: 20 reps
Vertical Jump: 37.5 inches
Broad Jump: 127.0 inches
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: A top recruit at both running back and cornerback out of Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, Henderson committed to Florida after originally signing on with Miami. He made the Freshman All-SEC team as a freshman in 2017 with four interceptions and eight passes defensed, and put up 93 tackles, eight tackles for loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles, 28 passes defensed, and six interceptions in his three-year collegiate career.
“I’m very comfortable,” Henderson said at the combine about man coverage. “We played that a lot back Florida. Press was our main go-to. So that’s something I’m very comfortable with. [Todd Grantham] mixed up a lot of coverages. So it was very different for us, compared to freshman year, mostly one coverage. So, it was very different. I think it helps out a lot, me being versatile and being able to work out of different coverages.”
Stat to Know: Henderson saw his man coverage rate drop from 60% In 2018 to 33% in 2019. He also saw his allowed completion rate rise from 38% to 51%, and his yards per target nearly double from 5.3 to 10.1. You know what to do, defensive coordinators.
Strengths: Similar to Jeff Okudah, Henderson is a potential NFL press-coverage cornerback with great man coverage skills. Given his experience, he is very patient when in press alignment, both with his feet and with his hands. He is often delibrate to fire his hands into his jams, but when he does he is efficient at re-routing most receivers. Henderson is also patient in terms of how he plays receivers. Whether in press at the line or playing off coverage, he is content with playing off the back hip, almost baiting the quarterback into throwing his way. Take this play from 2018 – a season which is worth studying to perhaps see him at his best – where he plays in off technique but reads the eyes of Drew Lock:
Henderson almost gives Lock this post route to throw, so the QB takes the bait. But then you see the burst from the cornerback to close the window, drive on the throw, and deflect the pass for an incompletion.
That play highlights some of his athleticism, which he showed both on film and at the Combine. Henderson tested very well for a cornerback, with a 4.39 40-yard dash that indicates his long-speed, as well as an explosive 37.5 inch vertical.
Also like Okudah, if you want a scheme-diverse cornerback, look no further. Henderson was used in a variety of both zone and man coverage schemes.
Weaknesses: You have to begin with what Henderson does, or perhaps fails to do, against the run. There are times when he seems minimally engaged in coming up against the run, or making tackles on running backs in space. Now, if you look at corners for what they do against receivers, this might not be an issue. Let’s not forget, Deion Sanders hated tackling, so much so he said recently that “[t]hese shoulders were made for suits, not for Brandon Jacobs.” But if your team is a man-coverage heavy system, Henderson is a fit. There is also the issue of his play slipping a bit in 2019. Pro Football Focus charted him with allowing 20 completions on 39 targets, for a passer rating of 109.0 in 2019. This was by far his worst season in that category. PFF also graded him with a 58.9 coverage grade, a big fall from the mark of 81.7 he earned in 2018. That is why it makes sense to give his 2018 film a viewing. When you do, you see plays like the above.
Conclusion: The slippage in 2019, combined with some of his reps against the run – or “business decisions” as others have termed them – are cause for concern. But sometimes you need to look at the full body of work. In 2018 Henderson delivered the type of play commensurate with a top pick in the draft. Giving those games a look might ease concerns scouts and coaches have about him. The player we saw a year ago is the kind of CB you can draft early and be confident in, regardless of your defensive scheme. Finally, consider this: In the run-up to this draft the late buzz has teams perhaps favoring Henderson over Okudah. Whether that is a pre-draft smokescreen – or an accurate play of the land – remains to be seen.
Comparison: Metrics-wise, Henderson compares favorably to Quentin Jammer, the former Chargers and Broncos cornerback. On the field, however, Henderson is reminiscent of Bradley Roby. The only caveat is that when Roby was coming out of Ohio State, he was much more aggressive in how he played against the run.