C.J. Henderson CB, Florida
Florida cornerback C.J Henderson proved he is a phenomenal athlete by running a 4.39-second 40-yard dash and posting a 37.5” vertical. Henderson has the physical gifts to be a top corner in the league, but I still think the Titans will steer clear of him.
While Henderson would give the Titans a physical presence on the outside, the team has traditionally opted to go with a zone coverage. Henderson struggled in zone coverage during his time in college and seems to lose players when he has to play in the scheme.
Henderson’s first two years of college were more impressive, particularly his 2018 game tape. It is disappointing to see a drop off in production in 2019 and is a cause for concern. In nine games for the Gators in 2019, Henderson was unable to get an interception.
While we have seen good CBs fail to record interceptions in the past, it doesn’t change the fact that being able to knock passes down and pick off passes can be a great indicator of future success.
Henderson also has some tackling concerns, which has been a big key for the Titans cornerbacks in recent history. I think Henderson’s size and speed dominated against the smaller wideouts in college but Henderson is going to need to improve his tackling against NFL competition.
Henderson is enjoying a relatively weak class of corners this draft. Outside of Ohio State Jeff Okudah, who is shaping to be a surefire starter in the league, everyone else is a crapshoot. I think the Titans would have been able to get Henderson as a second-rounder any other year but he is projected as a mid first-rounder.
To be clear, even in the second round I believe he would have the same red flags.