J.C. Jackson Lands At No. 49 On NFL Top 100 List; Stephon Gilmore At No. 47
BOSTON (CBS) -- The New England Patriots have a new member of the NFL Top 100 club, as cornerback J.C. Jackson has made his debut on the list of the league's top players.
The list is made from the votes of players who are asked to name the best players in the league, and Jackson landed at No. 49 on the list after his nine-interception season in 2020.
"It's hard to coach a guy to be around the football all the time. And J.C. just has a nose for the ball. He's just always around the ball. And not only that -- when he gets around the ball he has good enough ball skills, great ball skills, to be able to finish plays," teammate Matthew Slater said of Jackson. "You talk about a ball hawk -- a guy's either got it or he doesn't. And J.C.'s got plenty of it."
The 25-year-old Jackson was an undrafted free agent by the Patriots in 2018, and he's increased his interception total each year, from three in 2018,to five in 2019, to nine last year.
"That's how the year went. It was guys taking a chance on him and seeing if they could put something over the top of him or put something on his head, and every single time the ball was in the air, he went up and got it," teammate Damien Harris said. "Seeing the way that he does it is truly special."
Jackson is playing the 2021 season on a one-year deal worth $3.384 million, before he hits unrestricted free agency in 2022.
Jackson ranked higher than some notable defensive backs, like Minkah Fitzpatrick (No. 52) and Tyrann Mathieu (No. 58), and higher than Defensive Rookie of the Year, Chase Young (No. 61).
Jackson didn't rank higher than Stephon Gilmore, whose injury absences last year led to a greater opportunity for Jackson. Despite a step back in his 2020 season, Gilmore still ranked at No. 47 on the list. He ranked at No. 9 on last year's list.
"Stephon Gilmore, he's probably top three, top two corners in the league, just based off of tape," Vikings All-Pro receiver Stefon Diggs said. "Watching his ability to move left to right, he can recover well, he's got good ball skills, plays in a great system as well, well-coached. You can tell that he's super well-coached, super disciplined in his technique as well."
"He wants to play press coverage all the time," Bucs receiver Chris Godwin said. "He's a real physical guy. As a competitor, you respect that."
Nos. 100-41 were revealed on Sunday, while Nos. 40-11 will be unveiled next Sunday. The top 10 will be revealed on Saturday, Aug. 28.
