Stephon Gilmore Has Been the NFL's Best Cornerback Over the Last 5 Years

Teams don’t often give up on All-Pro Cornerbacks, especially in the middle of the season. Stephon Gilmore‘s departure from the New England Patriots was a shocking one, but makes sense given the emergence of J.C. Jackson and the rest of the Patriots that stifled the Buccaneers. Gilmore should amplify one of the NFL’s up and coming teams in the Carolina Panthers, given the fact that he has been the best Cornerback over the past five years and could have plenty left in the tank at 31 years old.

CBs with Most Pro Bowl Selections since 2016:

Stephon Gilmore 4
Jalen Ramsey 4
4 players tied 3 pic.twitter.com/vdqHMwR8n3
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 6, 2021

INTERESTING FACTS

Stephon Gilmore has the t-most Pro Bowls (4) among NFL DBs since 2016, tied with Jalen Ramsey (4)
DPOY DBs since 1990: 1993 Rod Woodson, 1994 Deion Sanders, 2009 Charles Woodson, 2019 Stephon Gilmore
Only CB with multiple All-Pro selections (2) since 2018

Odds vs. PHI: CAR -190 (Spread -3.5)

MAIN TAKEAWAY

STEPHON GILMORE HAS BEEN THE NFL’S BEST CORNERBACK OVER THE LAST 5 YEARS

COLORS KEY | FULL PANTHERS OUTLOOK

The Carolina Panthers emergence has been one of the best stories of the 2021 NFL season. Stephon Gilmore provides stability at the back end of their defense that was missing once stud rookie CB Jaycee Horn went down. Gilmore is known for his AFC Championship sealing INT against the Jaguars that led to the Patriots winning the Super Bowl against the Rams as well as his 2019 DPOY award. If the All-Pro Cornerback fully recovers from a quad injury, then the Panthers will get an absolute steal of a trade.

Stephon Gilmore has been the NFL’s best Cornerback over the past five years, rarely getting burned or giving up the big play (outside of Devante Parker). Given the vaunted receiving core of the Buccaneers, the Saints rising offense, and a solid receiving core of the Falcons, Gilmore is needed to hold it down against the pass. With speed rusher Brian Burns off the edge and Gilly Lock in coverage on the back end, the Panthers have a solid defensive core to potentially make some noise this season.

BEST HIGHLIGHTS

Gilmore has elite CB plays

The Patriots have traded Stephon Gilmore to the Panthers for a 2023 6th round pick 🚨

(per @AdamSchefter, via @NFL)

pic.twitter.com/uPK70qZckr
— Overtime (@overtime) October 6, 2021