Niner Noise
FanSided

NFL player award predictions for 2018

By Aaron Tan

SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 04: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers celebrates a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on October 4, 2015 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 04: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers celebrates a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on October 4, 2015 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 18: Jalen Ramsey #20 of the Jacksonville Jaguars is tackled by Will Fuller #15 of the Houston Texans after intercepting the pass at NRG Stadium on December 18, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 18: Jalen Ramsey #20 of the Jacksonville Jaguars is tackled by Will Fuller #15 of the Houston Texans after intercepting the pass at NRG Stadium on December 18, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

Defensive Player of the Year: Jalen Ramsey (Jacksonville Jaguars)

If you were to look up the words “shutdown corner” in the dictionary, you would see a picture of Jalen Ramsey.

Ramsey was the best cornerback of 2017, beating out the prestigious ranks of Richard Sherman, Patrick Peterson, Xavier Rhodes, Casey Hayward and Marcus Peters.

Ramsey’s football IQ is exceptional. He always knows what’s going on the field and just plays with great awareness at all times. He can play man and zone coverage with great precision, always sticking to his receiver or being near someone.

He can also get into players’ heads. Here Ramsey is making the usually calm, cool and collected A.J. Green, one of the top receivers in the league, explode in rage:

Ramsey is the top cornerback in the NFL, and he’s still young at 23 years old. So the scary part is that he is still learning and getting accustomed to how the league works. He is going to take the next step in 2018 and win Defensive Player of the Year.