Niner Noise
FanSided

2020 NFL Combine: 3 players no longer in 49ers draft range

By Peter Panacy

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 27: Wide receiver Henry Ruggs III of Alabama talks to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa of Alabama and wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. of Kentucky during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 27, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 27: Wide receiver Henry Ruggs III of Alabama talks to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa of Alabama and wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. of Kentucky during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 27, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
C.J. Henderson, NFL Combine
Defensive back CJ Henderson of Florida (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Cornerback. Gators . C.J. Henderson. 2. player. 840.

Like Tristan Wirfs, Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson was likely on the fringes of being selected very late in Round 1 or with one of the earlier picks in Round 2.

Not after the NFL Scouting Combine, though.

Henderson was plenty impressive, running the 40-yard dash with a blazing-fast 4.39 time and then backing it up with 20 bench reps of 225 pounds, showcasing both speed and strength for his 6-foot-1, 204-pound frame. And during his on-field drills, Henderson showed great twitch and change-of-direction abilities, suggesting he’ll have little trouble adjusting to life at the NFL level.

Cover corners are becoming more and more important in today’s NFL, and there is no shortage of teams probably looking to address the secondary early in the draft.

The 49ers are among one of those teams, as they’ll eventually need a long-term replacement for veteran cornerback Richard Sherman and, potentially, upgrades over Ahkello Witherspoon and/or Emmanuel Sanders.

Yet Henderson’s outstanding efforts at the combine all but ensured he’ll be gone no later than the early 20s in Round 1, meaning the Niners will have to look deeper in the draft to grab a corner they like.