JAGUARS SECONDARY RANKED BEST IN NFL BY PFF

The best secondary in football? Yep!

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Pro Football Focus has been releasing a series of team rankings over the past several weeks. They've ranked offensive lines, run defenses and pass rushes so far. The Jaguars came in at 15, 7, and 2 respectively. 

In their latest ranking PFF looks at secondaries across the league. And to no one's surprise the Jaguars took the top spot. Let's take a look at what PFF had to say regarding the Jaguars vaunted secondary. 

1. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Projected starting lineup:

Starting cornerback: Jalen Ramsey, 91.8 grade
Safety: Tashaun Gipson, 81.4
Safety: Barry Church, 83.2
Starting cornerback: A.J. Bouye, 88.0
Nickel cornerback: D.J. Hayden, 50.7

While they’ve taken a little hit with the loss of Aaron Colvin, they still own the league’s best cornerback tandem. Targeting Bouye and Ramsey last season netted opposing quarterbacks a cool 36.8 passer rating. They’re no slouch at safety either where Gipson (81.4 overall grade in 2017) and Church (83.2) are both quality starters.

PFF is spot on here. The Jaguars secondary was the best in football during the 2017 campaign and projects to be one of, if not the best, in the NFL in 2018. Jalen Ramsey and AJ Bouye are a lethal combo at outside cornerback and both are ascending players. Ramsey doesn't turn 24 until October, while Bouye is entering his prime at 26 years old. Barry Church is an excellent box safety with surprising coverage ability. Tashaun Gipson is a playmaker in the middle of the field who, when healthy in 2017, was playing at a near Pro Bowl level. 

Losing Aaron Colvin certainly doesn't help the Jaguars cause. He was, at the very least, an excellent run defender and blitzer and the nickel cornerback spot. And he was no slouch in coverage. His replacement, DJ Hayden, has been a bust to this point in his career. A former first round pick Hayden has yet to find his footing in this league, but he's never been surrounded by this much talent. He may or may not be the answer at nickel corner, but if he fails to impress the Jaguars will have several other options including 2017 training camp/preseason star Tyler Patmon and 2017 draft pick Jalen Myrick (who runs a blazing 4.29 40). They've also got great depth at safety in Cody Davis, Jarrod Wilson, and Ronnie Harrison - it wouldn't be a shock to see the team deploy three safeties at times in 2018. 

Still, this unit is as good as it gets and should be for some time. With great talent and a fair amount of youth the Jaguars secondary is built for the present and the future.