NFL Network: Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye are top-10 cornerbacks in the NFL

The Jacksonville Jaguars have two of the NFL’s top-10 cornerbacks according to NFL.com analyst James Jones.

Jones was a relatively successful wide receiver during his NFL playing days, and battled a lot of cornerbacks, so it goes without saying that he knows what it takes to be good at that position in the NFL — and having Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye listed among the best of the best is pretty impressive. I don’t think any Jaguars fans will be surprised that both Ramsey and Bouye made the list, but it is also something that should not be taken for granted.

Ramsey came in at No. 2 on the list, only behind Xavier Rhodes of the Minnesota Vikings. While I am biased and wanted to see Ramsey as the first name on the list, I fully expect to see his name in the top spot when this list comes out in 2019. While I doubt players buy too much into offseason listicles, it may give Ramsey something to strive for, knowing that somebody else is viewed ahead of him.

Here is what Jones had to say about Ramsey:

“When the Jaguars drafted Ramsey, they envisioned a physical tone-setter in the secondary who could shut down the NFL’s top-notch wideouts. I’d say they got that and much more just two years into his career. His extremely physical play, along with his won’t-back-down attitude, gives him a chance to win any ball that comes his way. The first-team All-Pro (52.1) was second only to teammate A.J. Bouye (36.1) in passer rating yielded among corners who took at least 400 pass-play snaps in 2017. Ramsey’s high IQ and unbelievable instincts should keep him near the top of this list for years to come.”

Bouye was a little bit further down the list at No. 8. I think he should be higher, as I’m not positive there are seven cornerbacks who should be ahead of Bouye, but I do think the majority of names on the list are all deserved.

Here is Jones on Bouye:

“Bouye is a pure football player. He’s not the fastest defender, but he never gets beat deep. With Ramsey often shadowing the opponent’s WR1, Bouye has utterly dominated against WR2s and WR3s. Just look at his stat line in his first year in Jacksonville: a 36.1 passer rating against and a 46.7 catch rate when targeted (92 times) in coverage. Bouye’s patience allows him to consistently make plays.

Jones is bullish on Bouye and for good reason. Again, I don’t think names like an aging Richard Sherman (who is coming off of a ruptured Achilles injury) should be ahead of Bouye, but again, Jones knows much more about this than I do.

The good news is that Bouye and Ramsey should create a dynamic duo in Jacksonville for the foreseeable future.

Where would you rank the Jaguars starting outside cornerbacks amongst their NFL peers? Who are your top-10 players at the position? Let us know in the comments section below.