The NFL Top 100 Players of 2021 list is out, with players 100-41 revealed to date. The list is voted on by current players in the league. Two members of the Patriots secondary cracked the Top 50, though their rankings were a bit curious.
Cornerbacks JC Jackson and Stephon Gilmore were ranked 49th and 47th, respectively, on this year’s list. They were the only Patriots to make the list thus far. This mark’s the debut of Jackson in the Top 100, while it’s Gilmore’s third straight year on the list.
Gilmore, 2019’s Defensive Player of the Year, is considered by many to be one of if not the top cornerback in the league, when healthy. As recently as this summer fellow cornerback Brandon Flowers of the Chargers ranked Gilmore the best in the league, while Jalen Ramsey of the Rams said Gilly Lock was second-best, behind himself. Jackson is an ascending star, also considered a Top 10 corner by the likes of CBS Sports and ESPN. He also happens to be the highest-rated undrafted free agent on the Top 100. Pretty impressive.
Yet somehow these rankings seem a little off, or the placement of the two so closely together feels a bit tight. Gilmore had a shaky start to the 2020 season, then rounded into All-Pro form before injuring his quad and undergoing season-ending surgery. Meanwhile Jackson had 9 INTs to go along with 40 tackles last season, numbers that certainly seem to have caught the attention of his peers, thus landing in the top 50. But Jackson is entering the fourth year of his career, while Gilmore has been at or near the top of his position for nearly a decade. And these rankings do mostly reflect last season’s efforts. But when you hear one of the top receivers in the game like Stefon Diggs, who famously gave Jackson fits in Foxboro last December, talk about Gilmore, you’d think even in a down year he’d end up higher on the list.
Are the two really that close in terms of talent and abilities now? Seems the league thinks so, but perhaps there are a number of factors that contribute to that, like Gilmore’s injury and Jackson benefitting from playing opposite a healthy Gilmore. There’s also the matter of whether Jackson is ready to be a number one corner, be it on the Patriots this season, should Gilmore not recover in time from rehab to start the season, or elsewhere? One thing’s for sure: Jackson’s spot in the Top 50, and so close to Gilmore, bolsters his argument for being paid like one of the top corners in the league next offseason. He’ll get his bag, the only question is who from?
The questions continue. Will Gilmore be able to return to health and form this season? He’ll turn 31 this September, and is looking for a both a raise this season, as well as a contract extension. Which he’ll likely get. The only question, again, like Jackson, is from who? If Gilmore does in fact return to 2019 DPOY form there’s no doubt he may in fact gain from Jackson what receivers have such a hard time getting on him; separation.
The 2021 rankings might be, like the coverage of Jackson and Gilmore; tight. With both on the field, in good health, one question that won’t need asking is if the Patriots have one of the best secondaries if not the best cornerback duo in the NFL. Their fellow players already answered that one for you.