Falcons' Bates III Ranked Among NFL's Top 100

Since entering the league, Bates is fifth in the NFL in interceptions since he was drafted with 24 picks. Receivers from the New Orleans Saints had a lot to say about Bates and his ability to wreck offenses. 

“He everywhere, man. He just knows the game. He’s always around the ball,” Saints wide receiver Chris Olave said. 

One of Bates' most notable moments in the league came on a 92-yard pick six against the Saints in 2023.

“He picked off a pass that was thrown to me my second year in the league. He read it perfectly, almost like he knew where the play was going,” Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed said of the play.

Bates' teammates were just as impressed.

“And all of a sudden, Jessie gets a pick six and, you know, those are the kind of moments that you know you train yourself now just to kind of see as normal because Jessie has made so many of them,” Falcons Guard Chris Lindstrom said. 

Bates has now had two pick-sixes in two years with the Falcons, his most recent coming against the New York Giants in Week 16.

While the knack for interceptions makes Bates one of the NFL's best safeties, there's another quality that puts him in an even higher tier.

“I think what makes him truly special is his ability, obviously, to go get interceptions, but his forced fumbles,” former Falcons safety Justin Simmons said.

Bates led the NFL in forced fumbles last season with four. Since the 2023 season, he leads all safeties in the NFL with seven and is tied third amongst all defenders, trailing only Fred Warner (8) and TJ Watt (10). Since 2020, he has the second most forced fumbles of all safeties (10), trailing only Antoine Winfield Jr (11). 

Bates is one of the best safeties in the NFL and his peers, both on the team and off, share that sentiment.

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