New York Jets’ free agent CB Brian Poole is wildly underrated (Film)

From 2019-20, 36 defensive backs in the NFL logged at least 300 snaps in slot coverage. The best of that bunch in terms of the fewest yards allowed per snap? That would be Brian Poole, who allowed 472 yards on throws in his direction across 629 snaps in slot coverage, a stingy average of 0.75 yards per cover snap that topped the 36-player group by a wide margin. Overall, when we compare Poole’s numbers against all qualified cornerbacks over the past two seasons, and we include all of his coverage snaps (both in the slot and outside), he stands out as one of the toughest corners to beat in football. Among qualified cornerbacks over the past two seasons, Poole ranked third in fewest yards per cover snap allowed (0.65), fourth in fewest yards per target allowed (5.4), and fifth in overall Pro Football Focus grade (78.3). The only other player who ranked top-5 at the position in all three of those categories is Richard Sherman. Poole’s coverage numbers are downright elite. In a league where slot cornerbacks are