Gilly Lock. BumpNRun Gilmore. The Silent Assassin.
Stephon Gilmore is called many things, but now we can add 2019 Defensive Player of the Year to that list. Gilmore was given the award at NFL Honors Saturday night in Miami, making him the first Patriot to ever and the first cornerback since 2009 to win the honor.
"It's a great honor. It's a blessing. It's a lot of hard work," Gilmore said. "Obviously, I couldn't have done it without my teammates, but to be the first player in Patriots history to win Defensive Player of the Year, it's a great honor."
Gilmore continually shut down some of the best receivers in the league, and week after week, his play on the field would get his teammates and those around the league talking.
"Each and every week, I feel like I went against the best receiver in the game and was able to shut him down as much as I can. That's tough," Gilmore said. "That's tough when you're playing on an island. It's tough when you play in a lot of man-to-man coverage every week, and I feel like I did that every week."
It didn't take long after the news broke for congratulations to come pouring in. Teammates like Tom Brady, Devin McCourty, Jason McCourty, Ja'Whaun Bentley and more praised Gilmore's play on the field on social media. NFL legends, like Ty Law and Richard Sherman, also congratulated Gilmore on the award, and according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins gave him a standing ovation.
Check out what they all had to say about the NFL's 2019 Defensive Player of the Year below.
