Remember two years ago, the start of the 2017 season, when Stephon Gilmore was the scapegoat of the Patriots defense.
Gilmore inked a five-year, $65 million deal that offseason, but struggled mightily to open the year, highlighted by communication issues within the secondary. It seemed Gilmore was having trouble picking up the system and knowing where to be.
But, things got better as the year went on and things really took off last season when Gilmore was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time of his career.
That wasn't the only thing where the cornerback was recognized on a national stage.
Monday night, Gilmore was named No. 22 on the NFL's top 100 list for the 2018 season, which made him the No. 1 overall cornerback.
Not bad for a guy who struggled as much as he did two years ago.
"We would get our game plan, and Steph's matchup would be, 'All right, Steph, you've got him. The rest of the guys are going to go over here and play defense. You've just got him,'" Jason McCourty said on NFL Network's reveal.
Gilmore's strong play has continued this summer, as he's arguably been the best player on the field through five practices for the Patriots.




