NFL Draft 2020: Jaguars find Jalen Ramsey’s replacement in CJ Henderson

The Jacksonville Jaguars saw some players slide to them at pick No. 9 in the 2020 NFL Draft, but they take CB2 in CJ Henderson out of Florida.

The first player from Florida football has officially been taken off the board at pick No. 9. With this pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars select CJ Henderson from the Gators.

Henderson had high-quality ball skills in the SEC East. He had to face off against great receivers this season, and he always held his own. There is a reputation for Florida defensive backs no panning out in the NFL, but Henderson should be able to change that stigma.

Henderson uses speed to handle coverage, but he sometimes tries to bait quarterbacks into throws. This sometimes works in college, but the odds of that working in the NFL are incredibly low. He will need to stay pressed against receivers in the AFC South.

The only key weakness that keeps popping up in Henderson’s game is his inability to tackle, but I honestly believe that this gets overhyped. He is an aggressive corner who causes chaos when he gets in the backfield.

In Jacksonville, he will obviously be the replacement to Jalen Ramsey. Jacksonville traded Ramsey as opposed to paying him a lot of money, which made the secondary a glaring hole in their defense. While they need offensive weapons to support Gardner Minshew, they can address that later in the first or second round.

The hope is that Henderson can at least be 90 percent of what Ramsey was, which is one of the greatest cornerbacks in the NFL. I don’t think it’s healthy to set such high expectations for a corner, but Henderson can certainly be a key contributor from his first game in the NFL. Pairing him with safety Ronnie Harrison should set up the back half of the Jacksonville Jaguars secondary for the future.

Grade: A-

Henderson isn’t the perfect prospect, but this is the best pick for them in this situation.