The Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers were two wonders to behold in the 90’s. The Jags made four straight playoff appearances after their first ever season in 1996, and the Panthers were in the conference championship in just their second season. For the Jaguars, cornerback Aaron Beasley was a key contributor having been their 3rd rounder in the team’s first draft. Beasley spent six seasons with the team and picked off 15 passes.
I want to get rid of the ugly air first and mention that Aaron Beasley was convicted of battery, but the charges were dropped. Another interesting note is that he co-founded the energy drink company Fever. One of the best players in WVU ‘s history, Beasley certainly lived up to his All-American and WVU Hall of Fame billing.
In 1999, Beasley picked off a career-high six passes and led the league with two pick-sixes and 200 total interception return yards. He followed up that performance with five sacks the next season. As a freaking cornerback! In fact, that is the fifth highest number of sacks by a cornerback in a season in NFL history.
The nine year career corner, who also played with the Jets for two seasons and a season with the Falcons , finished off his career with four picks when he was only listed as a starter for three games. It was the only season of his career in which he wore a number other than 21 (37).
Most players break out in their third season, and Beasley was no different. He had three picks and a long fumble recovery for a touchdown in 1998, and that set the tone for the rest of his career as a big-play corner (647 career defensive yards). While he did give up his fair share of big plays, pretty much every Jaguars fan will agree with me that Aaron Beasley is one of their best defensive players in franchise history.