New England Patriots: CB J.C. Jackson
Though there has been a late-season swoon against the Bills and Dolphins, New England’s pass defense was outstanding for most of the 2019 campaign, finishing first in Football Outsiders’ opponent-adjusted metrics by a fairly crushing margin and leading the league in completions allowed (303), touchdowns allowed (13), interceptions (25), completion percentage allowed (56.53%), and opposing QBR.
While Stephon Gilmore has been the marquee cornerback in that secondary, he doesn’t have the most imposing numbers against enemy receivers. That would go to cornerback J.C. Jackson, who, per Pro Football Focus, leads the league in passer rating allowed among cornerbacks who have taken at least 20% of their defensive snaps. Jackson’s opponent passer rating of 37.0 means that any attempt in his area has the same likelihood of creating an efficient play as throwing the ball out of bounds. This season, he’s allowed 31 catches on 63 targets for 328 yards, 146 yards after the catch, just one touchdown, and five interceptions.
In New England’s 23-16 Week 14 loss to the Chiefs, Jackson gave an excellent tutorial in how to bait a great quarterback. Demarcus Robinson is running a crossing route, and watch how Jackson gets his landmark, makes Patrick Mahomes think there’s enough space for a tight-window throw, and converges at the last second for the pick.
Yes, Gilmore is the guy most likely to tie up the opponent’s top receiver, but given the volume and complexity of today’s passing offenses, there’s no such thing as a “second cornerback” anymore. You either have a quality secondary or you don’t, and in Jackson, the Patriots have the league’s best “1A” player at his position.