It’s been a rather eventful offseason for the Tennessee Titans. Between the hiring of new head coach Mike Vrabel, the signings of Malcolm Butler and Dion Lewis, Deion Sanders calling Kevin Byard “a fan,” the uniform release party, murdering the 2018 NFL Draft, and the announcement that the NFL Draft is coming to Nashville in 2019, the Music City has been abuzz with pigskin chatter. Lost in that shuffle, though, is just how good of a season rookie cornerback Adoree Jackson had.
Fair play to get excited about this franchise right now, but we just can’t let my man #25 slip through the cracks here.
#Titans cornerback Adoree’ Jackson is one of eight second-year players primed for a breakout season in 2018 https://t.co/nrEBYsetMU pic.twitter.com/w75CQN1dYG
— PFF TEN Titans (@PFF_Titans) May 25, 2018
Not only is this guy real as shit, but he’s poised for greatness in 2018. Pro Football Focus said it, so it must be true:
Unlike the Ravens’ handling of Humphrey, the Tennessee Titans took a trial-by-fire approach with first-round cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, playing him on 94.1 percent of the team’s defensive snaps throughout the 2017 season. And, to the Titans’ credit, Jackson rose to the occasion, improving with each start and finishing among the league’s best at the positon.
After earning a 71.4 overall grade through his first 506 defensive snaps (Weeks 1-9), Jackson improved his overall grade by 10.9 grade points over the course of his final 10 games (including two postseason appearances) to finish the 2017 season at 82.3. And his upward trend should only continue when he reclaims his starting role in 2018.
His 17 passes deflected in 2017 led the Titans, and he forced three fumbles to boot. But, it’s what PFF was talking about when it comes to Jackson. It’s the fact that the guy showed some moxie, stepped up to expectations, and improved as the season wore on that’s so encouraging. And, those are some damn good corners to share company with. Let’s not just breeze over that fact. White and Lattimore are bona fide studs. These guys could become two of the best corners in the NFL, period. I wonder how Jackson’s last few games measure up against there’s specifically.
Regardless, this is exactly what you want to see in a young player, and if his development continues on this trajectory, there’s no reason to think that he can’t join the elite.
And, boy – if that happens, how good is this Titans secondary going to be? You’ve got bona fide studs in Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan. Then, you have Kevin Byard out in center field, Johnathan Cyprien stuffing the run, and a whole lot of depth in the secondary that the Titans haven’t had in recent years.
Things shape up just right, and this could become one of the best secondaries in the league, and with his dynamic skill set, Jackson could very well be the most electric of them all.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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