One of a few names to have been linked to the Panthers in the first round – especially if they were to trade down a couple of picks – is Florida cornerback CJ Henderson, and while much of the attention in terms of cornerbacks in the first half of the draft has focused on Jeff Okudah – and rightly so – it Is also worth spending some time to see what the Panthers’ other primary option at the position could offer them, given the state of the Panthers’ current cornerback room.
With that in mind, this piece looks to break down who CJ Henderson is on tape, what he can offer a team, and where he could still stand to improve in order to answer one simple question: would he make sense for the Panthers in the first round?
Coverage Upside
When you are talking about potentially taking a player in the first round, you have to think that there is sufficient upside for them to merit such a selection, even if you think they will need a fair amount of work to get to that point. For cornerbacks, upside means coverage and in particular, the ability to match up with the very best receivers in man, and to impact the game in zone.
On tape, Henderson shows the deep speed to run vertically with receivers without a huge amount of difficulty:
And also has the movement skills to follow receivers through routes in man:
And while he didn’t play a huge amount of zone coverage – at least not underneath – at Florida, he did flash the ball skills needed to turn opportunities into interceptions:
All of these things are highly promising traits, but traits don’t get you drafted in the top half of the first round – for that to happen, players need to show a level of detailed technique to harness those traits into consistent high level play.
(Top Photo Via Kim Klement/USA Today Sports)
