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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week on Wednesday after his performance in the team’s victory over Tennessee last Saturday.
There could be -- and arguably should be -- an even bigger award in his future.
Ramsey is one of the frontrunners to be named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, along with San Diego defensive end Joey Bosa and Atlanta linebacker Deion Jones. The fifth overall pick may not have the same kind of attention-getting stats as Bosa and Jones, but there is no doubt that he’s been one of the league’s best defensive players -- not just rookie, but overall player -- this season.
“The dude is a star, man,” Jaguars defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks said. “He really is.”
Ramsey also is ridiculously confident. Before his first NFL game, he said he wasn’t worried about facing Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson or Randall Cobb: “Throw my way if you want to.” He got into a war of words with Baltimore receiver Steve Smith. He also ripped the officials and officiating in the Jaguars’ recent loss to Houston.
But when it came to his thoughts on being named the league’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, he was boringly modest.
“To be honest with you I don’t know [if he should win the award] and I don’t really want to get into any of that,” Ramsey said. “I know there’s some other good rookies. I do know that. If it’s meant for me, if God has that for me in his will, then it’ll be, but if not then you won’t see me over here sad about my season at all.
“I’ve accomplished a lot this season for myself and I feel like I’ve played really well in my rookie season. Selfishly yes I would like to have an argument in the case of Defensive Rookie of the Year, but regardless I won’t be down.”
Ramsey has 61 tackles, 13 pass break-ups, a forced fumble and two interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown against the Titans, but to truly see how well he has played, you have to go a bit deeper.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Ramsey is tied with Pittsburgh’s Artie Burns for the most disrupted drop-backs (sacks, interceptions, and pass break-ups) among rookies with 11. All of those have come when Ramsey has lined up on the outside, and that’s more than Seattle’s Richard Sherman (10).
He has played his best football in the last month. According to Pro Football Focus, Ramsey has been the highest-graded cornerback in the NFL over the past four games. PFF has him allowing only 12 completions on 35 passes thrown against receivers he has covered. Over the last two games, Ramsey has broken up nine passes, forced a fumble and picked off two passes.
All of these stats have been compiled while Ramsey was almost exclusively covering the opponent’s best receiver one-on-one. His day against Houston’s DeAndre Hopkins on Dec. 18, for example: He broke up a pair of passes to Hopkins in the end zone (including one on fourth down), tackled Hopkins short of a first down late in the first half to force a field goal, and blew up Hopkins as he tried to catch another third-down pass that would have gone for a first down.
“Jalen has locked down every receiver he’s been on,” Marks said. “He hasn't got the turnovers, the picks and all that, but we know one side of the field is completely closed when Jalen’s on the field.”
Ramsey’s competition for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award is pretty stiff.
Bosa has certainly made a significant impact. He missed four games while holding out but has 9.5 sacks in 11 games. Bosa, who was the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Month in October, leads all rookies in sacks and is on the verge of becoming just the 13th rookie since 2001 to record double-digit sacks.
Jones has 70 tackles, three interceptions, eight pass breakups, and a forced fumble for an Atlanta defense that relies on three rookie starters. He was the league’s Defensive Rookie of the Month in September.
Tampa Bay defensive end Noah Spence, who was the Defensive Rookie of the Month in November, has 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and two pass breakups.
Still, Ramsey is playing what’s arguably the toughest position for a rookie, especially when you factor in the fact that the Jaguars play man coverage roughly half the time. That’s why what Ramsey has done this season has really impressed interim head coach Doug Marrone.
“I’ve been around some very good corners that have been Pro Bowl-type players, so for me, I can relate it this way: He has everything you want from athletic ability to size, to ball skills, to speed,” Marrone said. “For me, I think the thing that I have been most impressed with, because obviously I haven’t dealt with him on a daily basis, [is] his competitiveness. I think this is probably something that has come up before, but his willingness to be the best person out there.
“I see someone who goes out there that is extremely competitive, has confidence within his ability to get the job done. I still to this day cannot tell you what the ceiling is on him. He’s still a very young player. He’s still learning every day. There is no telling how great of a player he could be.”
http://www.espn.com/blog/jacksonville-jaguars/post/_/id/20515/making-the-case-for-jalen-ramsey-to-be-defensive-rookie-of-the-year