4. C.J. Henderson, CB, Florida
After looking at a potential day two selection for the Dallas Cowboys, we now turn to Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson, who is likely going to be a pick during the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. For Dallas, Henderson is a great fit but comes with an asterisk.
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The Cowboys have a decision to make at the position with Byron Jones set for free agency. A Pro Bowler in 2018, Jones is a hot name among the Cowboys fan base. He’s been called a shut-down defender and his believers say he shuts down one half of the field with his ability to shadow opposing wideouts in coverage.
His detractors, however, say that his inability to create turnovers means he doesn’t deserve a big contract — and he likely will command that in the open market. Both sides have merit to their arguments. Jones was clearly the best defensive back Dallas had in the past two seasons but the big-money cornerbacks generally have interceptions. And Jones has just two interceptions in his career — one of which came on a meaningless Hail Mary.
Unfortunately, no one will debate this without getting angry, so we can just leave it up to the Cowboys brass. And if they do let Jones walk, they might have no choice but to go after someone such as Henderson with the No. 17 overall pick.
Henderson has some of the traits that Jones does. Both have great height and weight, with Henderson coming in at 6-foot-1 and 202-pounds. He’s also able to play on an island and has no problem getting physical.
Ideally, the Cowboys would like to keep Jones and add a safety or defensive tackle with this pick. However, the only way they could truly replace Jones should they let him walk is to use a premium pick.