Draftees the Jaguars regret ignoring in favor of CJ Henderson in the 2020 NFL Draft
![Aug 17, 2020; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback CJ Henderson (21). Aug 17, 2020; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback CJ Henderson (21).](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4907,h_2760,x_0,y_24/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/55/01h3bcvh6d02afbq8htb.jpg)
No. 3 draftee the Jaguars regret ignoring for CJ Henderson: AJ Terrell, CB
Make no mistake, Dave Caldwell's heart was in the right place back in 2020. Cornerback was definitely a need after feuding and later trading Jalen Ramsey the year before. However, that doesn't give him a pass for fumbling the ninth overall pick.
Sure, Jeff Okudah, who hasn't put it all together, was gone when the Jags were on the clock and Jacksonville passed on Damon Arnette who last played in 2021. That's not saying much though, as the Jaguars also had the chance to take A.J. Terrell but went with Henderson.
Terrell ended up going to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 16 and he's gone on to become a key cog in their secondary. In fact, the former Clemson Tiger is one of the best cornerbacks in the league and has gotten lots of praise despite the fact that he's only registered four interceptions (none in 2022) over the last three years.
Just one year after giving up a 43.9 percent completion rate, he allowed 57.4 percent of the passes thrown his way but that was mostly due to the Falcons' inability to effectively rush the quarterback. Their 21 sacks were the second-fewest in 2022 and you could make the case that Terrell would have been more effective if he hadn't had to maintain his coverage for as long as he did.
This is to say that Terrell will bounce back next season if Atlanta's pass rush improves. But however you look at it, he would without a doubt have been a better pick than C.J. Henderson.