Campbell, Ramsey named 1st Team All-Pro

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Late last month the Jacksonville Jaguars had four players named to the NFL Pro Bowl. Those honors continued on Friday when DE Calais Campbell and CB Jalen Ramsey were named All-Pro first team selections by the Associated Press.

In December Campbell, Ramsey as well as CB A.J. Bouye and DT Malik Jackson were named to the Pro Bowl. Bouye and fourth-year OLB Telvin Smith were named to the All-Pro second team. 
This marks the first time since 2011 that a Jaguars player has been named to The Associated Press All-Pro team (RB Maurice Jones-Drew was a first team selection in 2011). The last time a Jaguars defender was named to The Associated Press All-Pro team was CB Rashean Mathis (first team) in 2006.

Last March, the Jaguars swung for and hit a homerun by adding Campbell in free agency. The former Arizona Cardinal is having a career year in his 10th season. He is one of the main reasons the Jaguars defense has adopted the nick-name “Sacksonville.” Campbell’s career-high 14.5 sacks leads the AFC. 

There were high expectations for Ramsey when Jacksonville selected him fifth overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. Ramsey finished 10th in the NFL with 17 passes defensed and posted a career-high four INTs this season.  Ramsey was also named to his first Pro Bowl this season, and joins A.J. Bouye (2017) and Rashean Mathis (2006) as the only cornerbacks to be selected to the Pro Bowl in franchise history. Ramsey finished second in the NFL in Pro Bowl fan voting for CBs, trailing only his teammate, A.J. Bouye.

The combination of Ramsey and Bouye has developed into the top cornerback tandem in the NFL. Bouye, who was acquired by the team during unrestricted free agency on March 10, 2017, posted career highs in INTs (six) and passes defensed (18) en route to his All-Pro selection(second team).

This marks the first time in franchise history that two players at the same position were both named to the All-Pro first team or second team in the same season.

Having two “shut down corners” has given Jaguars defensive coordinator Todd Wash the freedom to call any defense he pleases. Jacksonville finished the regular season with 55 sacks, one behind league leading Pittsburgh (56). A big reason why is the coverage on the outside by Ramsey and Bouye. 

Although he missed two games due to a concussion, Smith still led the Jaguars with 102 tackles. He is the only LB in the NFL to register multiple defensive TDs this season. Smith was named an AP All-Pro selection (second team) for the first time in his career and the first time by a Jaguars LB since Mike Peterson (second team) in 2005. He joins Peterson and Kevin Hardy (first team selection in 1999) as the only LBs to be named an AP All-Pro in franchise history.