So, it would be fair to say that this has been one of the best years of Gilmore’s career. Even with all the success and praise, Gilmore is still on the field practicing drills that will actually help in a game situation.
This drill that prohibits the use of his arms will help the cornerback keep up with receivers, essentially only using his hips and feet. From this, Gilmore doesn’t have to rely on the hand-fighting or tugging on the jersey that can get him penalized.
The end of the drill works on finding the ball and high-pointing. This can only help him in contesting for a jump ball just months after Gilmore had his best season in terms of interceptions, finishing the year with six.
If Gilmore continues to work like this during his downtime, he may just prove those Hall of Famers correct and find his place as one of the greats in the history of the game.
Boundary cornerbacks who can erase an opponent’s best receiver are more important than ever. Here are the NFL’s 11 best.
Let’s say you’re an NFL team, and you need a bunch of really good cornerbacks. Step one, of course, is determining which characteristics define your version of that ideal. Last season, the Chargers led the NFL by playing 75% zone coverage, so their definitions are going to be different than the ones the Patriots come up with — because the Patriots played man coverage on 54% of their snaps. Only the Lions played more man coverage, and the extent to which the Lions failed to do so at a competent level implies that perhaps they weren’t exact enough with their definitions.
Add in the fact that teams are playing more dime than base defense these days (20.9% dime to 18% base), and it’s an NFL that demands more cornerbacks, and more of those cornerbacks, than ever before. It used to be enough to press up against your receiver and work him to the boundary; now, you may have to move from zone to man to combo with different numbers of defensive backs around you. And you’re doing that against offenses that present more receivers in more complex formations and route concepts than ever before.
The outside cornerback position has never been more valuable than it is now as a result, and here are the 11 best at the position as we head into the 2020 season.
Assembling a list of the NFL’s 11 best outside cornerbacks in 2020 is a brutal exercise, because there are so many good cornerbacks in the NFL out of necessity. There were instances in which the players fell just short of the 50-target limit — our apologies to Jason McCourty of the Patriots and Jimmy Smith of the Ravens, who each had 49 targets (including the postseason) and would have challenged for the top 11 with an extra rep or two. Sidney Jones of the Eagles and Jamel Dean of the Buccaneers are two younger players who also didn’t make the target limit, but are excellent talents on the rise. In other instances, overall coverage numbers represented a primary focus on the slot, and while guys like Brian Poole of the Jets, Marlon Humphrey of the Ravens, K’Waun Williams of the 49ers, and D.J. Hayden of the Jaguars also played well outside to a point, it wasn’t their primary focus. So, you’ll find all of those guys on our list of the NFL’s top 11 slot defenders.
There were other cases in which cornerbacks had high interception totals and good overall charting stats, but their touchdowns allowed (stats backed up by tape study) got in the way. So it was for Pittsburgh’s Joe Haden, who allowed 49 catches on 79 targets for 468 yards, 139 yards after the catch, had five interceptions, and allowed an opponent passer rating of 70.0… but also allowed six touchdowns. Marcus Peters of the Ravens barely made this list because of a similar touchdown problem, but the negative plays he did create for opposing offenses were frequent and important enough to be considered.
DeVante Parker better be careful. He’s clearly throwing shade at the defending Defensive Player of the Year, New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
Parker’s jab at Gilmore was subtle — but clear to those paying close attention.
Parker posted to Instagram with an image of him posterizing Gilmore for a reception during their matchup in Week 17 when the Miami Dolphins shockingly upset the New England Patriots, who fell in the playoff standings and lost their first-round bye. Parker’s huge game, in a small way, contributed to New England’s late-season collapse. Here’s a look at the Instagram post from the Dolphins receiver.
Well, it’s a callback to something Gilmore posted in May 2018. While Parker posted that quote with an image of him catching a pass on Gilmore, the cornerback wrote something similar with an image of him intercepting a pass in coverage on the receiver.
Their matchups in 2020 should be extremely entertaining, considering they were a split decision in 2019. Parker had a monster game in Week 17, with eight receptions for 137 yards, but in Week 2, Gilmore blanked Parker, who had seven targets and zero catches.
Last year’s DPOY could be the Patriots’ best player.
It’s tough for a defensive player to be in the conversation for a title like the MVP. Those who earn the prestigious award have to compete with superstar quarterbacks and running backs who are putting up incredible numbers.
Last year, Stephon Gilmore proved that he was one of the best defensive players in the game of football, taking home the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year award.
Without Tom Brady in New England, there may be no more important player to don a Patriots uniform this year than Gilmore.
NFL.com’s Dan Hanzus went through all 32 teams and predicted who would be the most valuable player for each. He believes that if anyone has a chance to be the Patriots’ 2020 MVP, it would be the 29-year-old cornerback.
The reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Gilmore leads a stellar Patriots secondary that represents the team’s best argument for getting back to the playoffs without Tom Brady. How good was Gilmore in 2019? Kurt Warner said on NFL Network’s ‘Film Sessions’ that Gilmore’s work ethic and ability to study an opponent reminds him of Deion Sanders — who might be the greatest cornerback ever. Gilmore is at the peak of his powers and easily the most talented player still in Foxborough. It makes him an easy pick in this exercise.
Gilmore will have a lot of tough assignments this year with De’Vante Parker, Tyler Lockett, Tyreek Hill, Brandon Cooks, DeAndre Hopkin and more on the schedule. However, with the work he seems to be putting in this offseason, the cornerback might be able to handle some of those matchups with ease.
The only players who could really challenge Gilmore for this title are Jarrett Stidham and Julian Edelman.
If Stidham goes out and lights up the competition after playing minimal snaps during his rookie season, he would be deserving of the award. However, it would be pretty bold to make that assumption prior to even seeing the quarterback in training camp.
Edelman has a lot to prove without Brady in New England. Many have considered him a product of Brady’s ability and offense, but Edelman is set to establish himself as his own player. If he can show that he is still the piece that makes the offense go forward, then he has a legitimate shot of earning the title.
Law had nothing but rave reviews in regards to Gilmore’s commitment and believes this will lead to future success for the corner in his career. Look no further than last season. The 2019 Defensive Player of the Year recorded 20 passes defended, leading the entire league in that category. He also finished tied for first in the league with six interceptions, and two pick-sixes to boot.
The last the cornerback to win Defensive Player of the Year honors prior to Gilmore was Charles Woodson in 2009. That is certainly not a bad name to follow up.
Gilmore also managed to guard some of the best receivers in all of football. Just on his matchup list alone were Odell Beckham Jr, DeAndre Hopkins, and Amari Cooper.
Law believes Gilmore’s body of work can translate to big things down the road. From the Herald:
“That’s what the great ones do, he is amongst the giants of the league and has a desire to be the best and stay there,” Law told Guregian in a text message. “I’m loving what he is doing and looking forward to another big year for him.”
“He’s the real deal,” Law continued. “And he still seeks advice and asks questions. He’s still eager to learn. If he keeps it up, he’ll be around a long time. One day, you’ll see him in the Patriots Hall of Fame, and the NFL Hall of Fame, as well.”
That’s certainly high praise from a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
If Gilmore continues at the trajectory he is going, he may very well end up in Canton himself.
Who are the NFL’s best zone coverage cornerbacks? When you match stats to tape, here are the 11 top players with that designation.
In the 2019 NFL season, defenses dealt with a total of 17,854 passing attempts. Of those passing attempts, per Sports Info Solutions, 10,025 passing attempts came against some form of zone coverage — Cover-2, Cover-3, Cover-4, Cover-6, combo coverage, or Tampa-2. That 56.1% rate is fairly representative of the NFL over the last few years, but there are wild deviations in the amount of zone coverage teams will play. The Chargers led the league in zone coverage rate at 75%, while the Patriots had the lowest rate at 37%.
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When you have one team playing twice as much zone coverage as another in the same league at the same time, it’s a fascinating construct. And within that construct, here are the cornerbacks who played zone coverages at the very highest levels in the 2019 season.
(All metrics courtesy of Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise specified).
Jalen Ramsey needs to have a phenomenal season if he wants to take home this coveted award.
When perusing Defensive Player of the Year odds for the 2020 NFL season, a predictable name sits at the top of the list: Aaron Donald. The Rams defensive tackle is not only one of the best defenders in the game today, but arguably the best overall player in the league regardless of position.
He’s the favorite to win the award for the third time in his career, sitting at +750 (15/2) – ahead of Khalil Mack (+1000) and J.J. Watt (+1200). But if you look further down the candidates at BetMGM, you’ll see Jalen Ramsey at +5000. He’s tied for the 22nd-best odds among all defensive players, right there with a group of nine players that includes DeForest Buckner, Melvin Ingram and Tyrann Mathieu.
Ramsey has the third-best odds among cornerbacks (Stephon Gilmore and Tre’Davious White are ahead of him) and is sixth in terms of all defensive backs; Derwin James, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jamal Adams all have better odds.
After looking over the top candidates to win Defensive Player of the Year, is it possible Ramsey is being underrated? Certainly, especially given the circumstances.
Gilmore won the award last year, the first time a defensive back won it since 2010 and the first cornerback since Charles Woodson in 2009. Gilmore led the NFL in interceptions (6) and passes defensed (20) and allowed zero touchdowns all season. It was a stellar season from the Patriots corner, who helped lead New England to a historically dominant start to the year on defense.
When Polamalu won the award in 2010, he had seven interceptions and 63 tackles, breaking up 11 passes. Woodson led the league with nine interceptions and three pick-sixes in 2009 when he won Defensive Player of the Year.
All this is to help set the table for how Ramsey can win this coveted award in 2020. It won’t be easy, of course, but he has the potential to finish as the best defender in the league.
Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
His career-high in interceptions was four in 2017, a year in which he also broke up 17 passes. He only had one interception in 12 games last year and five total pass breakups, but the 2019 season was an outlier for him.
He was in the midst of a spat with the Jaguars, sat out with a back injury before being traded to the Rams, where he had little time to get acclimated to Wade Phillips’ scheme. He still played relatively well and made the Pro Bowl, but it wasn’t the 2017 version of Ramsey.
That version of him could – and should – come out next season under new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley.
Staley has already hinted at Ramsey being used as more than just a cornerback, indicating that he can play boundary corner, in the slot and at safety. Ramsey, himself, has had to contain his excitement for his role in Staley’s scheme, saying his “talents will be shown thoroughly.”
It remains to be seen how exactly Ramsey will be deployed, but with how much man coverage the Rams are expected to play, don’t be surprised to see him lining up all over the field. He’ll match up with No. 1 receivers such as DeAndre Hopkins and Amari Cooper, most likely. He could also man-up George Kittle twice a year, since he’s the 49ers’ biggest weapon on offense.
In order to win Defensive Player of the Year, Ramsey will have to lock down just about every receiver he matches up against – like Gilmore did a year ago. And it won’t be enough to pick off one or two passes, either. Ramsey will probably need at minimum four interceptions and at least 12 pass breakups in order to be in contention, because there is a statistical element to the voting process where interceptions and deflections are heavily considered.
Ramsey has reached those numbers in his career before, so there’s no reason to believe he can’t do it again. Much of it will come down to him seeing enough passes come his way, though. Because if quarterbacks don’t target him, his opportunities will be limited in coverage. For instance, he was only targeted 68 times last season compared to 113 in 2018 – though he did play four fewer games in 2019.
The other important factor to consider is team defense. The Patriots were first in points and yards allowed last season when Gilmore won the award. In 2010, Polamalu’s year, the Steelers were first in points and second in yards. In 2009 when Woodson won it, the Packers were seventh in points and second in yards. In 2007, Sanders’ Colts were first in points and third in yards.
Defensive Player of the Year typically goes to a player on one of the best defenses, with Donald being an exception to that trend in 2017 and 2018. For Ramsey, he needs the Rams to really improve on defense, which will be tough after all the changes they made and losses they suffered this offseason.
But don’t count Ramsey out as a real candidate to win Defensive Player of the Year. He’s still an elite cornerback and is set to play for a coordinator who will feature him prominently in the secondary. That’s a recipe for success.
Tre’Davious White was named to the All-Analtyics teams by NFL.com writer analytics expert Cynthia Frelund.
While the eye-test showed Tre’Davious White performed well, the advanced stats revealed the depth of his dominance last season. White was named to the All-Analytics teams by NFL.com writer analytics expert Cynthia Frelund.
Frelund highlighted White’s performance with a deep dive into his per-play contributions. She writes:
PFF tracked 83 targets thrown to a receiver in his coverage without him allowing a touchdown, which was the most in the NFL. He also recorded a 43.0 passer rating allowed in coverage, which was second-lowest in the NFL (among those with a minimum of 50 targets). The gap between Gilmore and White was the closest for any first- and second-ranked player at a position.
White earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors for his work last year, vaulting him into the conversation of top lockdown cornerbacks in the league. He tied for the league lead with six interceptions last year.
Interestingly enough, four of the five defensive backs named to the all-analytic squad have ties to the AFC East. New England’s Stephon Gilmore and New York’s Jamal Adams were mentioned as the best among their counterparts with these statistical metrics, while Pittsburgh’s Minkah Fitzpatrick, a former Miami Dolphin who was traded in September, was also named among the league’s best.
There are some lovely parallels between Gilmore and Sanders’ games.
New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore drew a flattering comparison this offseason. NFL Network analyst and retired Rams quarterback Kurt Warner was asked whether there’s a player Gilmore resembles in playing style from Warner’s time in the NFL.
Warner dwelled on the question for a long while before sharing a player who Gilmore parallels stylistically.
“He reminds me of Deion Sanders the way he studies his craft and is a student of the game,” Warner told ESPN. “That’s what Deion was so good at — the technique, the little things, and the ability to understand the game. Obviously, Deion was ridiculously talented. But he understood the game in such a way, especially playing man coverages, strengths and weaknesses, reading body language and doing all that stuff. That reminds me a lot of Stephon, the way he plays the game,” Warner said after deliberation.
“Maybe not the top-end athleticism that Deion had. Maybe not the speed that Deion had. But the same kind of craft he plays with, so he would probably be the guy. Deion was a guy who would get up in your face a lot.”
Buffalo Bills players landing spots in ESPN’s full-NFL mock draft.
ESPN undertook a big project recently, by holding a four-round NFL Draft.
But by draft, we mean a massive draft. It wasn’t just consisting of rookie players like a typical mock exercise. Instead, each and every player in the league was put into the draft pool and picks were made using the recent draft’s order.
Because of that, the Bills select No. 22 overall, the pick that was actually traded to the Vikings. Then it continues as a snake draft format.
Of the four players the Bills land, two are familiar. Josh Allen is still the Bills’ QB as he’s the second-round pick in this draft and the 22nd one taken. Of QBs, some surprising ones were taken ahead of Allen. Those include a few rookies who haven’t even played in the NFL yet, Joe Burrow (13) and Tua Tagovailoa (30). Then there’s Sam Darnold (23), Teddy Bridgewater (18) and the teamless Cam Newton (38).
Back to current Bills players, with the final Buffalo pick, safety Micah Hyde is taken in the fourth round, joining his actual team. With Buffalo’s first pick, wide receiver Michael Thomas is picked. Here’s the four-man team ESPN assembled for the Bills:
Round 1 (22): Michael Thomas, WR Round 2 (43): Josh Allen, QB Round 3 (86): Matthew Judon, OLB Round 4 (107): Micah Hyde, S
More interestingly might be the rest of the Bills players that were drafted. Two players fell on other rosters: Tre’Davious White and Stefon Diggs. White was selected the the third round, No. 67 overall by the Lions. Then the Ravens take Diggs in the fourth round, No. 101 overall. White was the third cornerback selected, behind Stephon Gilmore (32) and Jalen Ramsey (38).
In regard to other familiar faces picked up, Gilmore (as mentioned) and Tyrod Taylor find their way on the Chiefs with their first and fourth picks, respectively. And of course there’s that draft day connection to Patrick Mahomes, who ends up being the first-overall player taken in the draft to the Bengals.
