With it being the offseason for the NFL, fans can expect to see top-100 players lists popping up all over the web soon. Pro Football Focus is just one site who’ve already released their list, which included Jags defensive lineman Calais Campbell as the only Jag to make the cut.
NFL Network analyst and former Jaguar Bucky Brooks is someone who could probably compile a full top-100 list of his own, but instead he took a much more succinct route Tuesday afternoon by listing his personal top-5 players in the league. One notable who surfaced on the list was Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who made the No. 5 spot with DeAndre Hopkins, Ezekiel Elliott, Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Donald in reverse chronological order.
I think Brooks was right to list Ramsey in his top-5, though he didn’t necessarily have a top-5 year in 2018. Considering his talent and age, he is without a doubt one of the league’s five best players for the simple fact that his size, weight and speed have allowed him to have success against a wide variety of players. For proof, just look back at the season he had in 2017 as he showed up against tight end Rob Gronkowski in the AFC Championship and made things difficult for players like Antonio Brown and DeAndre Hopkins during the regular season.
As for Brooks’ question about paying Ramsey a three-year fully guaranteed contract at top market prices, fans must first know exactly what that figure is. Currently, the highest paid corner in football is Josh Norman of the Washington Redskins, who signed a five-year $75 million contract in 2016 which averages a position high of $15 million a year and guarantees $50 million. In a nutshell, that would lead to a three-year deal at a position high average of $15 million for Ramsey — all guaranteed. With him shaping up to be perhaps the best player in franchise history this early in his tenure, and with the Jags not having a franchise quarterback to break the bank on, it’s an easy yes for me. How about you all?
