Eagles Select C.J. Henderson in ESPN 2020 Re-Draft
What if the Eagles could back and redo the No. 21 pick in the 2020 NFL draft?
We all knew entering the 2020 draft, that the wide receiver pool was deep and talented. We heard a bunch of names, like Justin Jefferson, Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs and CeeDee Lamb.
One name that we really didn't hear a lot about was Jalen Reagor, who the Eagles selected at pick 21.
ESPN had their reporters re-draft the first two rounds of the 2020 draft.
Instead of taking the TCU wide receiver with the No. 21 pick, the re-draft has the Eagles selecting former University of Florida and current Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback C.J. Henderson.
From Tim McManus:
Henderson fell down the board mainly because he was limited to eight games with a groin injury. But he was the second corner taken in the real draft for a reason. Henderson has elite speed and athleticism, is a playmaker, and would fill a void at the starting cornerback spot opposite Darius Slay. There's an argument to stick with Reagor, who was limited by injury his rookie year but still has plenty of upside, but there's enough depth at WR to address the position later in the draft.
After getting hurt to start the year, and missed five games in total due to various injuries. Reagor had a tough time really finding his way in the Eagles offense in 2020, and never really saw a big role as the season went on. The rookie wide out finished with just 31 catches for 396 yards and one touchdown during his rookie campaign.
Taking Henderson would have certainly helped Jim Schwartz's defense, that was searching for someone to play across from Darius Slay all season long.
Henderson also struggled with injuries issues all season for Jacksonville, missing eight games, but should plenty of potential during when he was on the field.
The Jaguars ended up taking Henderson No. 9 overall.
As for Reagor, the re-draft had him still going in the first-round, but heading to Green Bay to play with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Green Bay of course took quarterback Jordan Love in the first-round.
Aaron Rodgers did just fine without the benefit of a first-round receiver -- or any-round receiver for that matter -- but they sure could have used the kind of fireworks Reagor could have provided on special teams. They saw it firsthand with his 73-yard punt return for a touchdown against them in Week 13, and he's the kind of versatile/motion receiver that's important in coach Matt LaFleur's offense.
In round two, the Eagles of course took quarterback Jalen Hurts.
In the re-draft Hurts went to Indianapolis with the 44th pick, after throwing for 1,061 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions during his rookie season.
In his place at pick No. 53, the Eagles ended up taking wide receiver Devin Duvernay, who ended up going to Baltimore.
Duvernay did a little of everything for Baltimore this season, making an impact as a receiver (20 catches, 201 yards), a runner (4 carries, 70 yards) and a kick returner, where he finished with 578 yards, including a 93-yarder. The Eagles would welcome that kind of versatility to their attack.
Duvernay, who played his college ball at Texas, didn't have a big impact as a wide receiver, but did in the return game an area where the Eagles really struggled.