Yeah, certainly some recency bias here but this guy should absolutely not be recognized as the unanimous best corner in the league.
It depends what you're looking for.
Lined up on the outside, playing press man as a boundary corner (or MEG aka "Man Everywhere he Goes")? No--he's definitely no longer the best corner in the league. Is he even top 10?
Off the top of my head (in no order):
- AJ Terrell
- Denzel Ward
- Tre'Davious White
- Xavien Howard
- JC Jackson
- Marshon Lattimore
- Jaire Alexander
- Marlon Humphrey
- Patrick Surtain
- Jaycee Horn
- Sauce Gardner
- Derek Stingley
Okay, that got tough. I could put name recognition guys like Stephon Gilmore on that list, but I'd rather have Ramsey than Gilmore right now. The 3 rookie and second-year guys at the bottom of the list are purely projection, and I could argue that Ramsey should be above Marlon Humphrey on that list.
I also think a haul of younger guys like Greg Newsome are quickly going to join that list.
But, that's not what you have Jalen Ramsey for. Jalen Ramsey is lining up in the Star role (I think that was the Wade Phillips terminology that he brought to LA). I think Nick Saban's disciples call it the Apex role. It's basically the inside corner and is what was classically just referred to as the nickel corner.
This nickel corner has the hardest job of the three corners. Boundary corners get to use the boundary as an extra defender. Meanwhile, the nickel has to be responsible for routes that break in all directions. He also has critical roles in the team's run fits, which is why the Rams utilize the physical gifts of Ramsey in this role.
As an apex defender, Ramsey is by far the best in the league. I'm not sure there's anyone else who can do what he does. From the above list, Marlon Humphrey and Jaycee Horn are the only guys I'd even think about trying in that role. In the rest of the NFL, you're looking at smaller guys like Kenny Moore and Bryce Callahan who can't play run fits the way Ramsey does.
So yeah, if you're asking who the best MEG corner in the league is, Ramsey isn't the answer. But, Ramsey is still probably the most valuable secondary player in the league.
If you want to read more about the basics of Saban's defensive scheme, this guy does a really good breakdown:
The Nick Saban defense is here to stay. His scheme has trickled both up to the NFL and down to the high school level.
weeklyspiral.com