3. Brian Poole, New York Jets
The Falcons picked Poole up as an undrafted free agent out of Florida in 2016, and started him on a positive development curve as a slot defender. Poole was error-prone at times in that position, and would give up more touchdowns and big plays than was ideal, but after he signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal to replace Buster Skrine, things started to turn around. Last season, Poole allowed 32 catches on 51 targets for 237 yards, 131 yards after the catch, one touchdown, one interception, and an opponent passer rating of 72.1 — the lowest opponent passer rating allowed by any slot cornerback who played more than 50% of his snaps inside. Now, he has another one-year deal, with the money going up to $5 million.
Poole has maintained his aggressiveness, but has also refined his mechanics to allow him to trail receivers through different routes. As he’s been able to combine backpedal speed with an elevated route sense and a fluid hip-flip (as well as defined footwork), Poole is now a top-level slot asset.