Jacksonville Jaguars: Just how underappreciated is Yannick Ngakoue?
By Billy Long
On a star-studded defense, pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue deserves far more praise than currently given.
If you have heard it once, you have heard it a million times- the Jacksonville Jaguars defense is absolutely stacked. Primed to be the best of the best in 2018, the unit is set to take another step forward from a destructive campaign last season.
On a defense chock full of superstars, one young Jaguars defender continues to fly under the national radar. The Good Morning Football crew on NFL Network discussed who the most underappreciated player in the league is currently, and Peter Schrager went with Yannick Ngakoue.
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Schrager began with slipping up and saying that Ngakoue did not make the NFL Top 100, before correcting himself and noting that the 2016 third-round pick made the list at number 88. But even still, Schrager says that ranking is far too low, and he is 100% right in that assessment.
When thinking about the defense in Jacksonville, attention is usually always drawn to guys like Jalen Ramsey, Calais Campbell, and Telvin Smith, and deservedly so for each of them. All three are as good as it gets at their respective positions.
Next: Ramsey primed to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year?
But as an edge rusher, Yannick Ngakoue is also a player near the pinnacle of his position, but somehow still lacks the national recognition he rightfully deserves. In fact, on an all-under 25 team recently compiled by NFL.com, Ngakoue was left completely off the list, which is an absurd omission.
Ngakoue collected 13 sacks in 2017, and perfected the art of the strip sack with seven forced fumbles. Manning the outside of the defensive line with Calais Campbell, the two created an unstoppable nightmare for opposing quarterbacks.
The arrow will continue to point up for Yannick Ngakoue in 2018, and sleeping on the third-year defensive star’s talent will become impossible. Calling it now, the jump up from number 88 on the NFL Top 100 next year will be the one of the biggest one year leaps on the list overall.