Jacksonville Jaguars: Can C.J. Henderson Be Better Than Jalen Ramsey?

Is C.J. Henderson ready to own the title as the top defensive back on the Jacksonville Jaguars roster?

Jalen Ramsey is no longer a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars and to be honest, I feel if I mention his name one more time in an article Beetlejuice is going pop up.

There’s a reason why Ramsey dominated headlines during his time in Duval County and even in the time since his departure, he was loud, productive, and the biggest star the team had since Fantasy Football Legend Maurice Jones-Drew graced the Bold City Gridiron.

We all know how the Jaguars-Ramsey marriage fell apart and led to the franchise obtaining two 1st round picks and one 4th round pick from the Best Buy Los Angeles Rams. The 10 games following the trade were filled with questions regarding how the Jacksonville Jaguars were going to fill the hole left by Ramsey’s departure and for the remainder of the season A.J. Bouye stepped up to the best of his abilities.

Marrone says he’s not sure of how the #Jaguars will re-Open in terms of players and coaches coming back, the timing or if it will be a full return or partial return in phases.
— Eugene Frenette (@GeneFrenette) May 29, 2020

UDFA Tre Herndon (who saw a 78-percent snap count jump from his rookie year ) proved to be an exciting but volatile cornerback with three interceptions and five defensive pass interference penalties.

It was clear immediately following the Ramsey trade that the Jaguars would need to use a high draft pick to bolster the cornerback position but following the trade of Bouye to the Denver Broncos this offseason for a 5th round pick (pick 137 used on cornerback Josiah Scott).

It became even clearer that the Jacksonville Jaguars desperately needed a No. 1 corner.

“C.J. Henderson Has Entered The Chat”

With the ninth pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected the polar opposite of Ramsey at the University of Florida Cornerback C.J. Henderson. His draft night reaction was not something that showed his disapproval of Jacksonville, however, it showcased his modest personality and quiet demeanor.

Henderson is going to be exactly what the Jaguars need and I feel he will be a net positive over Ramsey within three seasons.

When comparing the two, I see a couple of things that indicate to me that Henderson is perfect for Jacksonville.

First, Henderson has the tools and flashed in college his abilities to potentially become a ball hawk at the professional level, he was able to have twice as many college interceptions (6) in 11 fewer games than Ramsey (30 compared to 41 games played). Both did not record an interception in their final year at the college level but to be fair it appeared opposing quarterbacks avoided them like the plague.