Former Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback C.J. Henderson enters the final year of his rookie deal after being trade the Carolina Panthers.
No Minnesota Vikings cornerback beyond Byron Murphy Jr. has spent a full season as a starter in the NFL — the rest of the cornerback room has just four starts under its belt.
The Vikings left two starting spots open for competition in training camp. But after a month of evaluation, Minnesota must decide whether its young crop of cornerbacks has risen to expectations.
If not, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah should make a move to fortify one of the most vital positions in Brian Flores’ defense.
One name Adofo-Mensah should keep on his radar is Carolina Panthers cornerback C.J. Henderson.
Panthers CB C.J. Henderson is a Prime Trade Target for Vikings
The ninth overall pick by Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2020 draft, Henderson was one of the most athletically gifted cornerbacks to come out of the draft in recent memory, posting a 4.39 40-time to go along a 6-foot, 204-pound frame.
I didn’t know CJ Henderson had a 9.98 RAS 😳 looking forward to the breakout. Between CJ, Jaycee, and Chinn, their combined RAS is 29.97/30. Athletes man 🤯
However, his career hasn’t panned out like his $20 million rookie contract would suggest.
Henderson is already onto the second team of his career after the Jaguars sent him and a fifth-round pick to Carolina in exchange for tight end Dan Arnold and a fifth-rounder.
The move was largely part of a defensive overhaul in Jacksonville that called for more zone coverage assignments while Henderson is largely a man coverage corner.
After two seasons to evaluate Henderson, the Panthers declined his fifth-year option in the offseason, signaling Carolina is not heavily invested in him as he sets out to prove his worth in the final year of his rookie contract.
Henderson has 25 career starts in three seasons as a pro. He posted a career-high two interceptions and six passes defensed in 2022. Although Henderson has struggled in his career, posting below a 60.0 Pro Football Focus (PFF) defense grade in all three seasons, he has flashed promise.
Henderson picked off Marcus Mariota to help clinch the Panthers an overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons last season. He posted the highest PFF grade (91.1) of any cornerback that week.
CJ Henderson picks off Mariota in OT!
Some time under Flores could unlock the untapped potential that Henderson, only 24 years old, still has time to realize.
“A three-year starter at Florida, Henderson was the boundary corner in defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s versatile 3-4 scheme, playing both man
and zone coverages. He didn’t record an interception as a junior, but he was targeted only 4.2 times per game in 2019 as teams looked to throw away from him
(Grantham: “He’s the best corner I’ve ever coached”),” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler wrote in his 2020 draft guide.
“A finely tuned athlete, Henderson often does everything right for the first 90% of the play with coordinated movements to blanket routes, but his catch point skills are immature, leading to early contact and inconsistent plays on the ball. While he has a quick trigger to drive on plays in front of him, his break down and finishing skills are not currently strengths to his game. Overall, Henderson needs to become a better tackler and [197] playmaker at the catch point, but his athletic traits, length and mindset are why he is one of the best press-man prospects in the 2020 draft class, projecting as a rookie starter.”
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Made Trades for 2 High Draft Picks at Last Year’s Roster Deadline
Making a move for an upside gamble like Henderson is a dice roll Adofo-Mensah risked twice last year.
He made a pair of trades for former first-round wide receiver Jalen Reagor and second-round defensive tackle Ross Blacklock in an attempt to improve their respective position groups.
Neither top-50 pick has realized their draft value, but the process of taking chances on prospects like this is good practice if the price is right and if the Vikings can complete a reclamation project. Adofo-Mensah gave up a seventh-round pick and a conditional fifth-rounder for Reagor and only gave up a seventh-rounder for Blacklock, who played 139 defensive snaps last year. Getting even a rotational contributor out of a seventh-round pick is a net positive.
With cutdown day a week away, don’t be surprised if Adofo-Mensah makes another trade after a relatively quiet summer.