Jalen Ramsey chosen as DB with best press-man skills, most swag, among other superlatives

The Jacksonville Jaguars secondary is the best in the league and their individual play was enough to get the attention of Matt Bowen at ESPN.

The Jacksonville defense has 4 representatives headed to the Pro Bowl, but they should probably have a few more.

Two of the guys headed there are cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye, the captains of what is unquestionably the best secondary in the league.

And that’s not just me talking.

Matt Bowen over at ESPN recently discussed the best secondary players in the NFL and lumped them into several categories. Unsurprisingly we saw some Jacksonville Jaguars mentioned quite a bit.

He gave Jalen Ramsey two awards:

"Defensive back with the most swagRamsey plays with an edge. It’s a swagger, a supreme level of confidence. And I love it. The young superstar likes to talk a little bit, and he’s going to mix it up on game days. Go ahead and let them know. You own that side of the field. Remember, it’s OK to be brash and have fun in this league — especially when you can back it up like Ramsey.Defensive back with the best press-man skillsWith a 6-foot-1, 208-pound frame, Ramsey has the length and physical skills to get up in the grill of opposing wide receivers at the line. And there are no free passes against the second-year Florida State product.But don’t forget about his footwork. Even with that size and ultra-aggressive style we see on tape, playing press-man coverage always starts with the feet. And Ramsey, who has four picks and 11 pass breakups this season, has the lateral ability to mirror, kick-step and stay square before striking with his hands to jam you up."

Ramsey’s ability to trash talk has been discussed often this season, especially after he mentally slaughtered Cincinnati Bengals’ wide receiver A.J. Green, but his verbal persistence is a personification of his play as well. Ramsey is the most physical corner in the league and he wears down opposing wide receivers every week. While we all like to tease DeAndre Hopkins, he’s one of the few receivers who’s been able to keep up with Ramsey and challenge him on a regular basis.

The one area Ramsey got snubbed in was coverage, as Bowen gave the award for best overall cover corner to San Diego Chargers DB Casey Hayward. To be fair, that is an area Ramsey could stand to improve a bit, but I’d still take Ramsey over Hayward.

And of course, A.J. Bouye got a shoutout:

"Best ball hawk at cornerbackBouye’s six interceptions rank second in the league, and he has broken up 10 other passes. Those are good numbers, but I’m also looking at his ability to finish plays. We can go back to the two picks against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks where Bouye played the ball at the highest point on deep throws, or look at this play in a critical game moment during the win over the Chargers. Recover, play to the wide receiver’s hands and go get it. You better be careful when throwing at Bouye. He’s going to take away that ball."

That first interception on Russell Wilson was the moment I realized Bouye was a ballhawk – he covered Jimmy Graham the entire way, trailing just enough to make Wilson think Graham was open, then he accelerated and made the easy interception.

I expect he’ll have a few more before the season ends.

With a few individual mentions, it’s not surprising that Bowen dubbed the Jaguars’ secondary the best in the NFL.

"Best overall secondaryJacksonville JaguarsYou’ve seen me mention a bunch of Jacksonville players, right? You shouldn’t be surprised here. The Jags lead the NFL in passing yards allowed per game (168.9) while holding opposing quarterbacks to a Total QBR of just 38.1. That’s a ridiculously low number, on par with the 2017 seasons of Miami’s Jay Cutler, Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton and Baltimore’s Joe Flacco.The tape tells the same story. Anchored by the league’s top cornerback tandem in Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye, plus Aaron Colvin in the nickel spot, the Jags are playing to lock down teams at the line of scrimmage. Plus, with Tashaun Gipson looming in the deep middle of the field and strong safety Barry Church rotating down, the Jags can challenge routes at all three levels of the field. You want a physical secondary that absolutely dictates the flow of the game? This is it."

Gipson got mentioned at one point by Bowen as an honorable mention for the safety with the best range, but every single guy in the secondary could’ve been mentioned for their individual play at some point.

The most encouraging takeaway for me in this article is, outside of Aaron Colvin who will likely sign a big deal to start for another team this offseason, the Jaguars will have all these guys for at least the next 2+ years.

This Jacksonville Jaguars secondary is the best since the legion of boom – and they could be better if they continue to play together.