Stephon Gilmore is not the best cornerback on the New England Patriots. At least not statistically.
Instead, the highest rated cornerback in the National Football League comes in the form of once undrafted free agent Jonathan Jones.
Per Pro Football Focus, the Auburn alum leads the pack in cornerbacks with an overall grade of 88.8.
His coverage grade is not far behind as he is tied for second with an 88.7 rating.
Jones grades third in run defense with an 81.6.
The two-time Super Bowl champion cornerback has been firmly among the elites this season.
Through Week 8 not counting Week 9, Jones was ranked second with an overall grade of 87.4. Four points behind first place cornerback Quinton Dunbar’s 91.4.
San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman was a distant third at 83.3.
To give context to how much better in terms of stats Jones is playing than his teammates, Jason McCourty is ranked at No.5 with an 82.6 rating.
While Gilmore the unit’s biggest name is deeper down the list at No.15 with a 73.1 cornerback rating.
Jones has also helped the Patriots with so much more in terms of special teams as one of the key cogs in the unit.
He signed a three-year contract extension worth $21 million with $13 million in total guaranteed money to keep the cornerback in Foxboro until at least 2022.
