In Miami, former Gators cornerback CJ Henderson sat on a white couch surrounded by family awaiting a phone call from one of the NFL’s 32 teams on the first night of the 2020 NFL draft. If his phone rang, the defensive back would be UF’s 53rd first-round pick in school history.
With the ninth overall pick, Henderson was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In the weeks leading up to the draft, Henderson was projected as a mid-first round pick. NFL.com had him pegged as the No. 2 cornerback in this year’s draft class, behind only Jeff Okudah of Ohio State, who got picked up by the Detroit Lions third overall.
Henderson’s next football game will be clad in black and teal just an hour and a half up the road from Gainesville. After cornerback Jalen Ramsey was traded to the Los Angeles Rams last season, Henderson will fill a hole in desperate need of patching up in the Bold City. While at Florida, he had four sacks, 22 pass breakups and six interceptions across three seasons.
Henderson is also the Gators’ highest draft pick since Dante Fowler Jr., who was also drafted by the Jaguars in 2015.
Payton is a sophomore journalism major from Jacksonville, Florida. She is The Alligator's Spring 2021 digital managing editor. Her previous roles include softball beat writer, football beat writer and online sports editor.
