2. Jason McCourty, New England Patriots
Injuries limited the second half of McCourty’s regular season and took him out of the playoffs, but when he was on the field for the first 16 weeks of the regular season, he was as important to the NFL’s best secondary as anybody else in it. The 11-year veteran still has the trail speed and quickness in short areas to make life difficult for receivers, and he’s learned to perfectly time his aggressive defenses as the ball arrives. He was a real eraser in man coverage, allowing 15 catches on 33 targets for 191 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, and an opposing QBR of 26.2. The only cornerback in the NFL who did better was a teammate of McCourty and Stephon Gilmore, and unquestionably the league’s best man coverage cornerback in 2019.
Kevin King | Marcus Peters | William Jackson III | Bradley Roby | Quinton Dunbar | Steven Nelson | Tre’Davious White | Tre Flowers | Stephon Gilmore | Jason McCourty | J.C. Jackson