Henderson became the 13th Gators top-10 draft pick in the common draft era.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Former Gators defensive back CJ Henderson was selected ninth overall in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft on Thursday night by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“I feel the most comfortable with staying in Florida, that’s huge,” said Henderson, following his selection. “Being able to stay close to my family and my former college. I feel like I bring a lot to Jacksonville. I feel like I can take out opponents and number one receivers and I plan to do that here.”
Overall, UF has now had 53 first-round selections in its storied history and has totaled 18 first-round picks since 2007, which is fourth-most among all schools nationally. Only Alabama (33), Ohio State (23) and LSU (21) have more. Meanwhile, USC (15), Clemson (14), Georgia (13), Florida State (12), and Notre Dame (10) trail the Gators.
Henderson is also the 13th Gator to be taken in the top 10 during the common draft era and the highest-selected defensive player since Joe Haden was drafted seventh overall by Cleveland in 2010. UF now ranks tied for third among SEC schools (LSU) with the most top-10 draft picks since 1967 behind only Alabama (25) and Texas A&M (14).
In addition, UF has had nine defensive backs selected in the first round since 1970 and Henderson is the latest Gator DB since Vernon Hargreaves (2016/11th) to be selected in the top 15.
“CJ Henderson is a physical defensive back. Great size, about six-foot-one, 204 pounds. Extremely athletic,” said ESPN analyst Desmond Howard. “[He] tracks the ball extremely well and has supreme confidence in his speed. Really good make-up speed. Once the ball is in the air, he can go get it. That’s a pretty tremendous selection right there.”
Henderson is the first UF defensive back to be selected in the draft’s opening round since 2016 when safety Keanu Neal went 17th overall to the Atlanta Falcons and Hargreaves was the 11th pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is the first Gator first-rounder since DL Taven Bryan was selected 29th overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018.
Jacksonville has now drafted 12 Gators, most recently selecting Jawaan Taylor in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Henderson joins Bryan (2018), Dante Fowler Jr. (2015), Fred Taylor (1998), Reggie Nelson (2007) and DE Derrick Harvey (2008) as the only Jaguars’ first-round draft picks from Florida.
UF has now had at least one pick in every NFL Draft since 1952, the longest streak in the SEC.
All-Time UF Defensive Backs Selected in the First Round Since 1970
* 20th overall, 1970: DB Steve Tannen, New York Jets
* 25th overall, 1989: FS Louis Oliver, Miami Dolphins
* 26th overall, 2002: CB Lito Sheppard, Philadelphia Eagles
* 21st overall, 2007: S Reggie Nelson, Jacksonville Jaguars
* 7th overall, 2010: CB Joe Haden, Cleveland Browns
* 32nd overall, 2013: S Matt Elam, Baltimore Ravens
* 11th overall, 2016: CB Vernon Hargreaves, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
* 71th overall, 2016: S Keanu Neal, Atlanta Falcons
* 9th overall, 2020: DB CJ Henderson, Jacksonville Jaguars
UF Draft Notes:
* The Gators have had 10 first round picks in the last eight drafts.
* Florida has had a first-round pick in 12 of the last 14 years.
* UF has now had nine defensive backs selected in the first round since 1970 and five since 2010.
* The Gators 18 first-round picks since 2007 is tied for the fourth-most among all schools nationally.
* UF has had the fifth-most first-round draft picks (51) among NCAA schools and the second-most in the Southeastern Conference in the Common Draft era (since 1967).
* Southern California (71), Ohio State (71), Miami (FL) [60] and Alabama (58) are the four programs in front of Florida.
* UF ranks tied for third (LSU) among SEC schools with the most top-10 draft picks (13) in the Common Draft era (since 1967).
* Only Alabama (25) and Texas A&M (14) are ahead of Florida.
* Overall, UF has had 53 first-round selections in its storied history and has totaled 18 first-round picks since 2007, which is the fourth-most among all schools nationally.
* Florida’s 53 all-time is the second among SEC programs, trailing only Alabama (64).
* At least one Florida player has been selected in every NFL Draft since 1952, the longest streak in SEC history.
SEC Draft Notes:
* Six SEC schools had a player drafted in the First Round in 2020.
* The SEC has had at least one top-10 draft pick for the 14th consecutive season and for the 28th time in the last 29 NFL Drafts.
* Since 2009, Top 10 NFL picks by league: SEC (44); Big 12 (20); ACC (19); Pac-12 (14); B1G (12); MAC (3); Notre Dame (3); AAC (2); BYU (1); MWC (1); FCS (1)
* The SEC now has 51 top-10 picks since 2007.
CJ Henderson – Jacksonville Jaguars, 1st Round (No. 9 overall) Complete Bio CLICK HERE<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_sports_football_roster_cj-2Dhenderson_11635&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=YDWojYttstYQkm13pSEtJNZAYLyqjEbVFMA4dUKHjIE&s=Ts19rPOb2pWQQoDhfhTIULuz2O70WhSPJlHPceu98ro&e= >
What’s Out There?
* Check out all the social media buzz around CJ Henderson being selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
What they’re saying
“He is from Miami. First-team All-SEC. He had offers to play running back in college if he wanted to, but he always saw himself in a corner. He’s been playing football his whole life. He had six picks his first two years, but teams stayed away from him mostly last year.
-Demond Howard
“You got to have a lot of attitude to play this position. CJ Henderson said he would love to pick off Patrick Mahomes. Self-explanatory. Super Bowl victory. It’d be a pretty big deal, and indeed it will if the Jaguars new cornerback, the former Florida Gator, can pick off Patrick Mahomes at some point and CJ celebrating with his family in Miami as he will stay in state and play for the Jacksonville Jaguars.”
-Rece Davis
“Yeah, they really did. CJ Henderson is a physical defensive back. Great size, about six-foot-one, 204 pounds. Extremely athletic. Like you said in the video, he played running back in high school. [He] tracks the ball extremely well. He has supreme confidence in his speed. Really good make-up speed. Once the ball is in the air, he can go get it. That’s a pretty tremendous selection right there. He didn’t have the season you expected a year ago because he was hampered by an ankle injury, but he can flat out play the defensive back position.”
-Desmond Howard
“He has a lot of natural tools. At the combine, ran a 4.39 40-yard dash, so you’re not going to run by him. He burst on the scene as a starter as a true freshman, had four interceptions and took two to the house, and Reese you mentioned after that, people just didn’t want to throw his way. In zone coverage, he does a really good job of baiting quarterbacks into bad throws. He makes you believe you have an open window, you take the bait, and he jumps in front of it. This is a great pick for the Jacksonville Jaguars, guys. They lose their best cornerback, A.J. Bouye, to the Denver Broncos. Now you replace him, you don’t have to go very far, just down the road in Gainesville, and take CJ Henderson.”
– Jesse Palmer
“He is not going to go far away from where he played college ball at the University of Florida. His hometown is in Miami. He played running back in high school. In fact, his high school coach said he could have put him at guard and he would have been just fine. He received scholarship offers from a bunch of places, and last year was first team all-SEC.
“Obviously it makes sense because the Jaguars moved on from Jaylen Ramsey last year, they clearly needed help at the cornerback position. His defensive coordinator in Florida, Todd Grantham, 30 years coaching in college and the NFL said, ‘he’s the best cornerback I’ve ever seen.'”
-Trey Wingo
“He had that ankle injury that kind of tampered him early on, but he is a talented cover corner. That is where he is going to make the money in the NFL. He’s going to be able to shut down receivers. Tackling has to improve, has to be a little more aggressive, can’t play with 10 men in the NFL, you have to tackle, pulling those receivers after the catch and support the run. But in coverage, six interceptions in his career. 22 pass breakups. Even this past season when he had the injury with the ankle, he still finished top of the team with 11 pass breakups. His forte is coverage ability. That’s what you’re looking for in the NFL.”
– Mel Kiper
“No question about it. The Jacksonville Jaguars no longer have Jalen Ramsey, they no longer have A.J. Bouye, and I can tell you this, CJ Henderson is one of those types of guys. The kind of guy that can match up with your best wide receiver and he will saddle them all over the field. He did that this year. He followed Ja’Marr Chase on just every stat he could when they played LSU, and he was a guy who is proficient playing both in press and in off. He has the feet to line up in press and saddle you in the line of scrimmage and then run with you down field. He has the feet and the hips and the eyes to play from off and play all the different coverage packages you want to play when you back off. He just needs to be more consistent at the catch point, but he is supremely talented and fits the mold of the kinds of quarterbacks that play in Jacksonville.”
-Louis Riddick
