Resume and Accolades
Henderson was a two-way player at Columbus High school and a top-150 national prospect his senior year. After committing then de-committing from Miami, Henderson ended up at Florida, and his talent shined in his freshman season with four interceptions.
Then in his sophomore season, he emerged as one of the best defensive backs in the country. According to PPF, Henderson allowed a passer rating of just 49.4 in 2018, allowing zero touchdowns along with two more interceptions.
In his junior season, Henderson still played well enough to earn first-team All-SEC honors and was second-team All-American. All this despite playing with a bad ankle, which forced him to miss three games.
The high expectations he garnered from his tremendous 2018 did not quite come to fruition in 2019. However, teams were reminded of his physical talent when he put on a show at the NFL combine. He clocked a 4.39 in the 40 yards dash with a 37.5″ vertical, a 10.07 broad jump, and a surprising 20 reps in the bench press.
Now, as we get close to the draft, NBC’s Peter King was told by one league GM that Henderson could be the top cornerback in this draft for some teams, above Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah.
“I bet 40 percent of the teams in the league have C.J. Henderson higher on their boards than Okudah. Better cover guy.”
A bold statement, but when you combine Henderson’s full college career with his incredible traits, there is an argument to be made.