Martes, Hulyo 19, 2022

r/NFL Top 100 Players of the 2021 Season - #30-21

Welcome to the reveal for players ranked 30-21 for the r/NFL Top 100 Players of the 2021 Season!

Players whose average rank landed them in places 30-21 are on this portion of the list revealed today. Players are associated with the team they finished playing for in 2021

Below you will see some write-ups from the rankers summarizing the players’ 2021 season and why they were among the best in 2021. Stats for each player are included below. Additionally, their ranks from previous years are available for y’all to see

METHODOLOGY

Link to more detailed writeup on our methodology

  • Step 1: A Call to Rankers right after the Super Bowl

  • Step 2: Rankers from each team nominated players to rank, with a 10 game minimum threshold. Players are associated with the team they played for in 2021

  • Step 3: The Grind. We instructed users to tier positions groups into T25, T50, etc based on 2021 regular season play only. This took several weeks as the rankers tiered each position group and discussed them. There were no individual player threads and no arbitrary position caps. Just questions and rankings.

  • Step 4: Users submitted their own personal Top 125 lists.

  • Step 5: User lists were reviewed by myself, u/mattkud , and u/MikeTysonChicken . The rankers were expected to answer questions about their lists. They were allowed to make any changes to their list, and were not forced to make any changes

  • Step 6: The Reveal… where we are now!

And without further ado, here are the players ranked 30-21 in the r/nfl Top 100 Players of the 2021 Season!

#30 - Travis Kelce - Kansas City Chiefs - Tight End

Previous Ranks

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
7 15 13 31 N/A 28 83 N/A N/A​

Key Stat

Still put up his 4th straight 1100 yard season despite having his lowest target share since 2015

Written by: u/broccolibush42

Travis Kelce, among all the all time greats as a TE, is probably the most consistent of them all, recording his 6th(!) 1000 yard season in a row in the 2021 season. No other TE in the history of the league has over 4. Travis went through the 2021 season with the same consistency he's had all year, commanding special attention and posting 4 100+ yard games, including an absolute mollywhopping of the Chargers in week 14. He posted a statline of 10 catches and career high 191 yards with 2 TDs, with one of those TD's coming off an elite walk off game winner in overtime. Travis somehow eludes 3 chargers defenders, including that of Derwin James who honestly just looked kinda scared there, and shows off surprising speed to get into the endzone.

Travis has a great ability to find open space in soft zone coverages which helps Mahomes tremendously in a pinch when his pocket collapsed and he has to scramble around to avoid getting sacked, such as his clutch catch in the classic divisonal game during the 13 second drive. Kelce also is a good blocker for the chiefs run game and after catch plays, making key blocks that gets this offense the couple more yards it needs.

It is crazy how Chiefs fans in the last 25 years have got to watch two, not only hall of famers, but all time greats at the Tight End position with Travis and Tony Gonzalez. Crazy thing is that I dont think Kelce is even close to being done even as a 32 year old, who will turn 33 in the 2022 season. I can see at least two more elite level seasons out of Kelce as he might look towards to setting all time records at his position. He needs roughly 6000 yards to catch Tony and with about 4-5 seasons the man could do it.

#29 - Joel Bitonio - Cleveland Browns - Offensive Guard

Previous Ranks

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
48 N/A 88 N/A N/A N/A 95 N/A N/A​

Key Stat

2nd lowest allowed pressure rate since 2019 (2.9%)

Written by: u/Ownange

Joel Bitonio is a solid rock at Left Guard for the Browns. Since 2017, he's played every single snap in every single game for the Browns, never letting up more than 4 penalties in a year. Since 2018, he has lived on the Pro Bowl and All Pro rosters, and allowed an average of 2 sacks a season during this stretch. Bitonio held course for his incredible year once again. Being voted first team all pro, and only allowing 2 sacks and 3 penalties, again, consistent.

Bitonio's run blocking is all around incredible. Here's him pushing a 350 pound DT from the Brown's 49 all the way to the Bengal's 46. Bitonio wears #75. On this play, Bitonio identifies Hunt has the angle on every Bear's defender except for the CB, so he gets out in front on this counter and extends above and beyond to take the CB out of the play, and let Hunt make a man miss for the touchdown. Another example of Bitonio's ability to block the run comes against the Chiefs. He uses his explosive speed and finds his way to the second level, where he blocks a linebacker, and Nick Chubb has nothing but green grass for the touchdown. That mobility that lets Bitonio get to the second level also applies to screens. On this play, fellow top 100 player Roquan Smith is tasked with stopping Hunt. However, Bitonio carries Smith, a top LB in the league so far out of the play that you'd think Smith was a highschooler, not an NFL superstar.

Bitonio is a sold guard in every facet of the game. Great at run blocking, pass blocking, in the screen game, and doesn't allow many penalties, he does it all, does it all well, and is a captain in the Browns locker room. His spot on this list is well deserved.

#28 - Patrick Mahomes - Kansas City Chiefs - Quarterback

Previous Ranks

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
3 7 2 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A​

Key Stat

Highest career passer rating in NFL History (minimum 1500 pass attempts)

Written by: u/MattyT7

Patrick Mahomes may not be the #1 quarterback of the 2021 season, but make no mistake: he is still the best quarterback in the NFL. People seem to think that because he only threw for 4,839 yards and 37 touchdowns this season with 13 interceptions and a rating of 98.5, he is somehow “falling off.” They think the league has “figured out” Mahomes and the Chiefs. I am here to dispel these rumors.

Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback I’ve ever watched. He makes multiple plays a game that will leave your jaw hanging agape and thinking “how did this guy just do this?” The jump passes, the no-looks, the crazy across-his-body-while-running-for-his-life passes, the 60+ yard bombs that he makes look effortless, the SICK side-arm throws; Pat can do anything. The escapability he possesses while still being able to analyze the field and find insane windows to make plays happen is ridiculous. I’ve never seen anything like it. That being said, he did have some off games and plays that left you scratching your head and wondering if it was really Mahomes that just threw that pass. Against the Chargers, he had probably the worst (clean) throw of his career and against the Football Team COMMANDERS he made one of the worst interceptions of his career attempting some hero-ball.. As I mentioned, Mahomes threw 13 interceptions this season; the most in 1 season of his career thus far. However, more than half of those interceptions came from passes that hit his receiver first. The luck Mahomes seemed to have the prior season regarding dropped interceptions completely reversed for the 2021 season.

Let’s talk about the bad. According to Pro Football Reference, Mahomes’s adjusted yards gained per pass attempt was 7.4 and adjusted net yards per pass attempt was 7.07; both the lowest of his career. His passer rating index and sack percentage index were also career lows. As the season progressed, the talk around the media was that Mahomes and the Chiefs had a 2-high safety problem. While you may look at stats and think that this argument is supported, the fact of the matter is that most of Pat’s mistakes against cover 2 were self-caused. On this play, the Ravens drop into 2 high, and Pat throws an interception trying to play hero-ball as he’s falling to the ground. Now while this is not something you want to see as a Chiefs fan, it’s also not totally a result of the coverage. Hero-ball will always carry risk, but if there’s a single quarterback in the league that should not be questioned, it’s Mahomes. We have seen him time and time again pull off miraculous throws falling down, giving the offense a chance when the plays should be killed. While he certainly could be more careful, this is a part of Mahomes that makes him so incredible. The 2-high narrative kind of fell apart as the season continued, with Mahomes breaking from his early-season slump. From week 9 on, Mahomes would only throw 3 interceptions the rest of the regular season compared to 18 touchdowns.

I’ve been ranking for 3 seasons now and I am so glad that Mahomes was finally available to write for this season. I get to watch MORE of the best quarterback in the NFL AND I get to gush about it? No-brainer. While 2021 may not have been the best season we’ve seen from Patrick Mahomes, it was still a remarkable year full of highlights. He threw for the second largest yardage total of his career in what people call a "bad" season. As another GOAT once said, “My biggest flops are your greatest hits" Mahomes makes throws I never would’ve thought possible, and he makes them with ease. He will get the ball to his receiver even if there’s a defender standing directly in his path. He will escape a should-be sack and throw the ball 65 yards through the air to give his guy a chance to make a play.. At the end of the day, there is no one I’d rather have under center with my team down 3 with 13 seconds left in the 4th quarter.

#27 - Joe Burrow - Cincinnati Bengals - Quarterback

Previous Ranks

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A​

Key Stat

First player to lead the league in Cmp%, Y/A, and AY/A since Tom Brady in 2007

Written by: u/KingDing-aLing13

Coming off a rookie season which ended with his knee getting destroyed, there were plenty of doubts surrounding Joe Burrow before the 2021 NFL season. Young quarterbacks have had their entire career derailed by injury, and others took multiple seasons to completely recover their confidence. It’s not like Burrow lit the league up before his injury either. While hopes were still high for the Heisman-winning CFB-champion former-#1 pick, the hype was already beginning to dominish. Ice cold Joe proceeded to silence any doubts, and had one of the best seasons of any quarterback last year, culminating in a Comeback Player of the Year award and very nearly a Super Bowl victory.

With an elite receiving corps and what could technically be considered an offensive line, Burrow ran away from critics and defenders alike and slung the ball to the tune of 4611 yards and 34 touchdowns, and he did it efficiently. The Shiestmeister led the league in completion percentage (70.4), yards per attempt (8.9), and adjusted yards per attempt (9.0), was second in the league in passer rating (108.3), yards per completion (12.6), net yards per attempt (7.43), and adjusted net yards per attempt (7.51), and third in the league in touchdown percentage (6.5). If you don’t know what half of those stats mean, they are all different ways to say Joe Burrow good. Now that the boring numbers are out of the way, let’s see plays that demonstrate Joe Burrow good.

Let’s start with throws that simply look good. As you may be aware of, the Burrow-Chase connection was quite decent last year. The 49ers saw their 4th quarter lead vanish because of that connection. On a 4th down play, the pocket collapses around Burrow, and he rolls out to the right. While on the run, Joe casually tosses one to the back of the endzone over the entire 49ers defense to Chase for the touchdown. That kind of innovation and gutsiness on a massively important down is something well beyond Burrow’s years. Later in the 4th with time dwindling, Burrow finds Chase again on the deep route to tie the game. That right there is a beautiful throw. On another deep route by Chase, Burrow throws at his back shoulder, giving Chase and only Chase a chance to make a play on the ball, which he does tremendously. There’s also this throw to Joe Mixon against the Ravens. With the underneath routes all covered well, Burrow steps up the pocket to buy time and launches it to Mixon downfield. That pass gave Burrow 525 yards on the day, 4th most ever in a single game.

I’ve already alluded to Burrow playing beyond his years, so let’s dive into that deeper. The Ravens are playing a zone defense, and the outside cornerback is ready to break on the out route for a potential pick 6. Burrow quickly diagnoses the coverage and throws to Chase’s back shoulder before the safety can get to him. A young quarterback could easily be fooled by the coverage, but not Burrow. Processing doesn’t always mean finding the big play. Trying to force something to happen is often when quarterbacks throw interceptions, and again, experience helps reduce this. On this play, Burrow quickly sees that the endzone is well covered, and checks down to Mixon before any defender can react, giving Mixon time to make a move and score. Finally, take a look at one of the most savvy things Burrow does. Joe will often throw defenders off their zone with his shoulder, shifting them just out of position and then firing it to where they just were. It’s sort of like a pump fake but with his shoulder. In just his second season, Burrow is not just reading all the tricks seasoned veterans throw at him, but he’s actually throwing them off with his own tricks.

Navigating behind an offensive line that was offensive in every sense of the word, Burrow showed absolutely no signs of tentativeness, and moved confidently in pocket. Even after a league-leading 51 sacks, Burrow still had the cool to lead his team to the Super Bowl in one of the best Cinderella runs in recent NFL history. With Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, and Mixon still his supporting cast, and new additions to the line, Burrow is poised to have just as good a season this year, if not better. He fully deserves to be this high on the list, and if you don’t already think he’s elite, Joe Burrow is going to prove some more doubters wrong very soon.

#26 - Tristan Wirfs - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Offensive Tackle

Previous Ranks

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
61 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A​

Key Stat

Lowest allowed pressure rate in 2022 among tackles (1.9%)

Written by: u/Ian_Udani

Tristan Wirfs has played 2256 snaps in the NFL and given up exactly 3 sacks. He only has 3 holding penalties and 4 false starts across his 2 seasons of outstanding line play. He was selected as a First Team All-Pro while also making the probowl for the first time in his career. Wirfs helped Tom Brady notch the second lowest sack rate of his entire career(2.97%) and earned an 84 overall grade from PFF.

Really what sets Wirfs apart in my eyes is his combination of athleticism, size and football IQ. He has violent hands at the point of attack and does a great job of moving his feet and body to get into position to make the hard blocks. I love this play this play when he just obliterates the right side of the Colts defensive line

I cant say enough good things about watching him play so I will defer to Baldy’s breakdown on what makes Wirfs so damn good.

In regards to the list I expect Wirfs to stay in the Top 50 for his entire career as a Top 3 tackle in the league.

#25 - Justin Herbert. - Los Angeles Chargers - Quarterback

Previous Ranks

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
68 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A​

Key Stat

Most passing yards (9,350) passing TDs (69 nice) and 300+ yard games (17) in a QB's first two seasons

Written by: u/confederalis

“Insanity”, as Al Michaels put it, is the best way to describe the play of Justin Herbert, who comes in at #25 on r/NFL Top 100 List. While many around the NFL were certain he was due for a sophomore slump, Herbert instead almost single-handedly carried a mediocre Chargers team into the playoffs. Herbert, the former president of the East Sheldon High School Fishing Club, is a unique talent, combining freakish size, arm strength, accuracy, and football IQ to wreak havoc on NFL defenders. His stats speak for themselves, ending the season with 5014 yards (2nd), 38 touchdowns (3rd), 294.4 yards/game (2nd), and 5 game-winning drives (3rd). Herbert was incredibly accurate, finishing the season with an 80.2% rate of accurate throws/attempt and a 14.6% rate of bad throws/attempt, both top 5 marks in the league. With only 13 turnover-worthy plays and the lowest TWP rate in the league, Herbert not only got the ball to his own team but was elite in keeping it away from the defense.

According to Ravens DC Wink Martindale, Justin Herbert can “throw a strawberry through a battleship”. While Martindale’s praise may be slightly exaggerated, if anyone could penetrate a steel hull with a throw, it’d be Herbert. Nearly every week, the quarterback completed impossible passes that exemplified his stunning combination of arm strength and deep accuracy. Despite defenses consistently “scheming” Herbert with 2-high safety looks, Herbert’s arm strength gave his passes an uncharacteristically low trajectory and short air time, which enabled him to complete incredibly difficult and low percentage deep shots over the top of defenders. Take this throw, where Herbert rockets a bomb over the top of Jessie Bates. Herbert’s throwing style also enables him to hit deep receivers in small windows, like this throw to Keenan Allen between two Cowboy defenders, or this otherworldly howitzer to Mike Williams to beat T op 5 corner Darius Slay. However, what is most impressive about Herbert’s arm is that he doesn’t even need to set his feet to throw, generating so much power from his upper body that he does not lose any throwing capability when he is on the move or getting hit. Herbert’s ability to generate incredible power with just his upper body facilitates throws like this insane pass to Keenan against the Browns, or better yet, Herbert’s throw of the year to Jalen Guyton vs the Giants, when he placed a 63.8 air yard ball in Guyton’s breadbasket over two defenders while simultaneously being tackled. Simply put, he just makes throws that shouldn’t be possible.

While Herbert’s arm talent steals the highlights, his quarterback IQ may be just as impressive. The Chargers offensive scheme demands a lot from Herbert, using predominantly “pure dropbacks” (i.e. no play action or RPO’s) on passing plays. This means that, without misdirection and deception to confuse defenses, the Chargers' passing success was singularly dependent on how well Herbert could decipher coverages, identify mismatches, and go through his progressions. Herbert’s IQ is evident in this play, where Herbert quickly goes through his reads until he finds Keenan open in a tight window, or this one, where Herbert makes a pre-snap adjustment, goes through his progression, then finds Ekeler in a mismatch for the score. Even moreso, Herbert’s IQ ascends to godlike in clutch situations. Despite Brandon Staley going for it on 4th down like he’s playing Madden, Herbert never got flustered, playing arguably his best football when his team needed him most. This was most evident in the Chargers’ Week 18 win or go home against the Raiders, where he was 6/6 for 106 yds and a TD, with a 158.3 PERFECT passer rating, just on FOURTH down. And these weren’t just any throws, these were low percentage completions on a cover 3 prevent defense, with plays like this threading of the needle to Mike Dub, or this absolute laser to Josh Palmer exemplifying his supernatural powers.

Whether it be his arm talent, football IQ, or the fact that he has 69 career TD’s (nice), Herbert has quickly developed into one of the deadliest weapons in the NFL. In the 2021 season, Justin Herbert transcended his status as the rookie phenom, rising to become a bonafide member of the NFL’s elite.

#24 - Mark Andrews - Baltimore Ravens - Tight End

Previous Ranks

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
N/A 80 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A​

Key Stat

Most touchdowns by a tight end in the red zone last season (9)

Written by: u/Yedic

In a year marked by an unprecedented amount of injuries at seemingly every position group for the Ravens, the team needed someone on offense to step up in order to maintain some semblance of competitiveness. Mark Andrews answered the call big time. MAndrews set Ravens records with 107 receptions and 1361 receiving yards (both also were the most in the league by a TE) and added 9 receiving TDs (tied most by a TE) as one of the few bright spots for the Ravens on offense.

Consistency was the name of the game for Andrews, as he was able to produce no matter who was throwing the ball to him. Marquise Brown got off to a hot start with Lamar throwing the ball, but couldn't get anything going with Tyler Huntley or Josh Johnson. Not so for Mark Andrews, who had two 100+ yard games with Lamar at QB, two 100+ yard games with Huntley at QB, and even managed a 100+ yard game from Johnson!

As usual, Andrews did the majority of his work from the slot this year, with PFF charting him taking 62.2% of snaps from a slot alignment. However, with Nick Boyle and Pat Ricard both dealing with injuries at points in the season, Andrews was called upon to do some more run blocking than usual, and he responded with PFF's 3rd highest run-blocking grade among TEs. While he won't be confused with Kittle or Gronk as a blocker anytime soon, the versatility he showed this season gave the Ravens much more flexibility with alignments and personnel packages.

#23 - Ja’Marr Chase - Cincinnati Bengals - Wide Receiver

Previous Ranks

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A​

Key Stat

Most yards by a rookie wide receiver in the post-merger era.

Written by: u/Letsgomountaineers5

Continuing the trend of LSU WRs having all time rookie seasons, Ja’Marr Chase came out of the gate strong with 81 catches, 1455 yards, 13 TDs, 2 200 yard games, a 2nd team All Pro, and most importantly a Top 25 ranking on this list. While his consistency leaves a little to be desired, the highs of his season were higher than any receiver last year and are a huge catalyst behind this absolutely deserving rank. So what makes Chase such an elite WR, the kind of guy that as a prospect the word “generational” was thrown around? Well, it all starts with in my opinion the most important trait for any WR, body control.

The first thing that stands out when watching Ja’Marr, the thing that makes him already the best back shoulder WR in football, is his beyond elite body control. Chase is able to bring himself to balance and contort his body in ways that only gymnasts can dream of being able to do in order to adjust to balls thrown outside of his frame. He couples this with some of the latest hands and eyes in football to make a corner in even great position have an impossible time of getting back to the football. Here is a perfect example with 1 2 different angles to truly capture the beauty of this play. Watching the coaches’ film of this play, you can see that the corner is in excellent position being in phase and playing Chase relatively tight to the sideline. However, the corner really has no chance at this making this play as when you splice the two video angles together, you can see Chase wait until the last possible second to turn his head, come to balance on a dime, and completely throw his torso/shoulders/hands around to the sideline in order to bring the catch in AND still get both feet down. This perfectly encapsulate what makes Chase such an incredible downfield threat. It’s not just speed or athleticism but it’s balance, body control, and focus that truly separates him from the pack.

So, body control is great, I feel it’s the most important trait a WR can have, but just being able to twist like a trapeze artist isn’t going to make you an NFL WR. So, what else does Chase do that makes him so productive? Well there's a myriad of things. Firstly, there’s his ball tracking. It goes a bit with the earlier play too, where Chase has a sense of where the ball is going to be when he sees it out of Burrow’s hand and he can put his head down, find that extra gear, and track it down. Another WR with a similar profile, Lynn Swann, was notorious for actually taking his eyes off the ball in the air to reach his extra gear and throw a DB off and there’s some of that in Chase’s game. Chase also does a lot of damage in the release and stem of his route. He has a bag of tricks that starts with his feet in order to beat press coverage. At the top of the screen, you can see the DB in a soft press coverage. Chase fires off textbook with his back foot with a little stutter and hits an in-out jab step to create the separation he needs. Once he gets into the stem of his route, he’s able to set up a defender with his elite deep ball ability to get into any route he wants to run. Here, he stems into the defender’s outside shoulder and gets close enough to put him in no-man’s-land where the DB’s ass is completely backwards to where it would need to be to cover the in-breaking route. He breaks down like he’s going to shoot out into a fade, jabs hard upfield and gets the defender to begin opening up for a fade before slicing back underneath on the dig and getting wide open. The draftniks coming out had issues with his stem and ability to separate. As Chase proved time and again this year, those concerns were unfounded. Finally, Chase uses all of these incredible WR traits to compound with a bigger RB’s build, physicality, and athleticism to allow him to do damage once those elite traits allow him to get open and bring the ball in.

In all, Ja'Marr Chase proved this year to be maybe the best deep ball WR in the NFL while still maintaining a well-rounded skill set. While he wasn't the most consistent WR, most of that came from his role and game flow, not just failing to get open all of a sudden. With experience should come more consistency, and while it's said often, the sky is truly the limit when it comes to what he's capable of doing in this league. So far, those hyperbolic generational talent quotes might just be on point.

#22 - Darius Leonard - Indianapolis Colts - Off-Ball Linebacker (LB)

Previous Ranks

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
64 46 26 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A​

Key Stat

Lowest passing rating allowed in single coverage since 2018 by LBs (40.8)

Written by: u/ghettogoatsauce

Ah, another Ballard pick we all know and love, the Maniac, Darius Leonard. As a Colts fan, it didn’t take very long for me to associate him with turnovers and forcing the ball out. Our 1st-team All-Pro Maniac right here decided to continue the trend he’s followed throughout his career, this time notching a career-best and league-leading 8 forced fumbles to go along with 4 interceptions and 122 total tackles (per Pro-Football Reference). If you’re more into PFF, they say he had a solid total grade of 79.0 and only missed 9 tackles all year. With him playing 500+ snaps in coverage, he held QBs to a 84.3 QB rating against him (Daniel Jones had an 84.8 this year, for perspective). Pretty good for a linebacker who’s mostly known for thumping in the run and punching at the ball like a beefier Charles Tillman.

The stats the Maniac puts up on a yearly basis is always gaudy and sexy, but what about the good old-fashioned eye test? Well, here’s 4 whole minutes of Darius Leonard forcing or recovering turnovers. My goodness does he love punching at that ball. Also that stiff arm on Jakobi Meyers is the second time we’ve seen a disgusting stiff arm from him on an interception, which I suppose isn’t that important but I’ll still inject it into my veins.

In summation, Colts fans love their tackling and turnover machine. With him locked from this past off-season for 5 more years at $99.2 MIL, $52.5 MIL of that guaranteed, we hope he can continue that defensive dominance that has led him to be a 1st-team All Pro in 3 out of the 4 years he’s been in the league. And for new DC Gus Bradley to use him right.

#21 - J.C. Jackson - New England Patriots - Cornerback

Previous Ranks

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
62 78 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A​

Key Stat

Lowest passer rating allowed by a corner in 2021 (46.8) and over the last two years (52.6)

Written by: u/KingDing-a-Ling13

This is my third year ranking and my third write-up for J.C. Jackson. Out of my 13 total write-ups, this is by far the toughest for me to write, as J.C. Jackson will no longer be intercepting opposing quarterbacks for the New England Patriots. With that being said, I prefer to celebrate life rather than mourning what was lost, so let’s look back on all the good times we had together this year.

To conclude my write-up last year, I wrote, “With some improved consistency and more convincing battles against top-end wide receivers, J.C. will unquestionably be among the league’s elite, if he isn’t already.” Jackson made me look like a genius, improving in virtually every single statistical category this season while serving as the unquestioned CB1 for the Patriots following the departure of Stephon Gilmore. Jackson once again demonstrated his prowess as one of the top ballhawks in the league, picking off opposing quarterbacks 8 times. Watch how J.C. runs Elijah Moore’s route for him, easily undercutting the throw for the pick. Moore makes his cut and it looks effortless for J.C. to change directions with him. Interception numbers tend to be flukey, but Jackson’s ability to cover receivers like this already gives him a very high floor for interception numbers year-to-year. Even on his “flukier” picks, Jackson has an uncanny ability to be at the right place at the right time. Covering Elijah Moore once again, Jackson makes a great play on a back-shoulder throw to tip the ball into the air. Instead of trying to attack the ball, Jackson immediately positions himself to where the follow-up could fall to him, and his quick positioning is rewarded with an interception. This ability is not immediately noticeable, and is a hugely underrated part of Jackon’s game. His tight coverage gets him 3-4 picks a year, and his cerebral positioning gets him the rest. The result? Jackson has 25 career interceptions, which is tied for most all time for any player through their first four seasons.

Jackson is an elite cornerback due to his ballhawking first and foremost, but his overall coverage has improved tremendously. Jackson allowed only 50 catches on 98 targets, and was credited with only 3 touchdowns allowed. Put it all together, and opposing quarterbacks had a 47.8 rating when targeting Jackson. Among nominated cornerbacks, that trailed only Rasul Douglas and AJ Terrell, who were both targeted far less than Jackson. Watch his coverage of Amari Cooper on this play. J.C. maintains inside leverage on a go route by Cooper, staying with him stride for stride and pushing him towards the sideline. Jackson reads Cooper’s eyes and turns right as the ball is in the air, and very nearly picks off Dak. Very rarely does Jackson get beat by speed on the outside. In fact, he doesn’t get beat much anywhere. Covering D.J. Moore (one of the most underrated receivers in the league) from the slot in the red zone, J.C. opts for outside and underneath leverage. This must’ve been well scouted by the Patriots, because Moore breaks towards the back corner of the endzone, and Jackson is positioned directly between Moore and the ball. The decision by Darnold was awful, but the coverage by Jackson was perfect.

On top of the interceptions and tight coverage, Jackson was one of the best in the league at breaking up passes, constantly demonstrating elite hand quickness and closing speed. While covering Brandin Cooks on this third and 2, Jackson presses Cooks at the line, disrupting the quick slant enough for Jackson to barely get his hand on the ball and prevent the Texans from converting. On another third down the next week against the Cowboys, Jackson is lined up one-on-one with Ceedee Lamb. Lamb creates some separation, but Jackson shows great recovery speed to once again poke the ball away right at the point of contact.

J.C. Jackson’s elite play last season earned him a 5 years, $82.5 million deal from the Chargers. What can Chargers fans expect to see? Still just 26, Jackson likely is just hitting his prime. As is the case with all ballhawk cornerbacks, he will give up more yardage than elite coverage cornerbacks, but he’ll more than make up for it by stealing possessions away. As he gains more experience, his game will get smarter, and he’ll be better at choosing when to aggressively play the ball. I am very sad that J.C. Jesus will no longer be on my team, and I won’t be able to help myself root for his success anywhere.

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