With The First Pick
Fansided

Cincinnati Bengals: Recent draft picks can round elite defense into form

By Maxwell Ogden

CINCINNATI, OH - AUGUST 11: Darqueze Dennard #21 and William Jackson III #22 of the Cincinnati Bengals celebrate in the first quarter of a preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Paul Brown Stadium on August 11, 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - AUGUST 11: Darqueze Dennard #21 and William Jackson III #22 of the Cincinnati Bengals celebrate in the first quarter of a preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Paul Brown Stadium on August 11, 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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William Jackson III: The Shutdown Corner

You may not hear his name very often, but William Jackson is one of the very best cover cornerbacks in the NFL. The Cincinnati Bengals losing games certainly doesn’t help his reputation, but his individual play was genuinely elite in 2017.

After missing his entire rookie season with a torn pectoral muscle in 2016, Jackson came back in 2017 with a vengeance.

Jackson allowed 0.38 yards per cover snap, which ranked No. 1 in the NFL. He went 26.4 cover snaps per reception allowed, which also ranked No. 1 in the NFL—a combination of statistics that clearly says, “Elite.”

Quarterbacks accumulated an NFL rating of 36.1 when throwing Jackson’s way, which was second in the league to just A.J. Bouye of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Jackson was active for 396 cover snaps, but the relatively limited sample size is nothing to scoff at. For instance: Jackson was targeted 43 times in 2017, but didn’t allow a single touchdown—something that may change down the line, but is one heck of a foundation to build upon.

Considering he has a stake to the claim of being the best shutdown corner in the NFL, it’s criminal that no one is saying Jackson’s name.

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