One of the Jacksonville Jaguars' top defenders has earned some respect from the NFL community, though maybe not as much as his play suggests he should.
In ESPN's annual rankings of the top-10 players at each position for the 2023-24 season, Jaguars linebacker Foyesade Oluokun landed in the honorable mention category.
"Oluokun had 128 tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles last season. "Maybe not the standout athlete like some others but extremely durable and extremely consistent," an AFC executive said. "Has a lot on him mentally in that system to get everyone lined up, and he plays it at a high level,'" ESPN said.
Oluokun led the NFL in tackles (184) and solo tackles (128), while leading the Jaguars in tackles for loss (12) last year after signing a three-year deal worth between $45 million to $46.5 million that carries a guarantee of $28 million at signing. Oluokun led the Jaguars in tackles in 12 of their 17 regular-season games, playing 99% of the snaps and wearing the green dot for the defense.
But even after a big season in the middle of a playoff defense, Oluokun still found himself behind linebackers on this list who he has outplayed in recent years, including Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White, Indianapolis Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard, and Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton.
"As part of ESPN's 2023 NFL season preview, we surveyed league executives, coaches, scouts and players to help us rank the top 10 players at 11 different positions," ESPN said.
"By way of refresher, here's how our process works: Voters give us their best 10 players at a position, then we compile the results and rank candidates based on number of top-10 votes, composite average, along with dozens of interviews, research and film-study help from ESPN NFL analyst Matt Bowen. In total, more than 80 voters submitted a ballot on at least one position, and in many cases all positions. We had several ties, so we broke them with the help of additional voting and follow-up calls with those surveyed."
“I feel like I can be better. I feel like I can be better. Pride, it’s cool, I feel like we’re all a reason why we did well, but I want to be even better because I feel like there’s another place I can be," Oluokun said at the conclusion of last season.
"Make more plays on the ball, more plays that affect the game, get the ball back to the offense quicker, make sure everybody else is lined up. Just be a rock for the defense and make more impactful plays in the game. That comes with knowing the defense and knowing what I need to improve.”
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