Ramsey has been one of the best cornerbacks in the league since Jacksonville drafted him fifth overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. 25. He was one of the league's worst corners by nearly every metric, which led to the new regime cutting him outright. 90-81. Seattle Seahawks: Ahkello Witherspoon, D.J. Brian Poole, New York Jets. Jan 10, 2022. Building a high-powered offense is a sustainable way to win in the NFL, but ensuring the defensive secondary isnt a liability is what separates the contenders from the rest. The Panthers' outside coverage, in particular, was the weakest link. Who led the NFL in receiving in 2021? 11. PFF's exclusive metrics provide Cornerback (CB) position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Going into the 2021 season, there are several teams that stand out as best prepared to do that with the talent they possess in the defensive backfield. Quarterback Josh Allen, cornerback Tre'Davious White, wide receiver . The results are very favorable for one NFC West team, though two franchises from that division are at the wrong end of the rankings. Jackson hasnt quite reached those lofty heights in the three years since, but he is coming off his best statistical season since 2017, with just 52% of the passes into his coverage being completed in 2020. This group should contend for the top spot next season. We often bring up the difficult coverage assignments that No. Reed, provided some grounds for optimism as his burn yards per target average of 8.21 put him 15th among corners with at least 200 coverage snaps. Pro Football Network, LLC. Its worth pointing out that Slay frequently draws the opposing teams top receiving option in single coverage, and his 97 single coverage targets over the past two seasons is a top-five mark at the position. Outside corner D.J. Marcus Peters, Baltimore Ravens Safety, The Rams' pass-defense unit regressed some from 2020, but make no mistake: This is still an above-average group. As a result, Diggs' coverage grade rang in just above the 50th percentile among cornerbacks. Ramsey produced the highest coverage grade and most PFF WAR among all cornerbacks in the regular season. After trading Matthew Stafford in 2021 and T.J. Hockenson at the trade deadline last year, the Lions have five picks in the top 81 selections of this year's NFL Draft, including picks No. 2021 stats: 11 games (11 starts), 1 INT, 6 PBUs, 1 FF, 1 FR, 0.5 sacks, 41 combined tackles (27 solo). Here is the fourth version of our Vikings 2023 Mock Draft Tracker, which features 16 recent predictions from around the world of . Thats a tip of the cap to everyone in the secondary for stepping up, including 2020 seventh-rounder Dane Jackson, who didnt allow a touchdown in any regular-season start after replacing White. On the other hand, safety Justin Simmons sustained his high-level play by finishing as one of the 10 most valuable players at the position. Marshon Lattimore struggled a bit relative to expectations in 2020, but hes back with a vengeance in 2021. Cross, the former NFL defensive back who became the first Black man to work full-time as a sports analyst on national television, is the latest football player diagnosed with the brain disease CTE. Hes never recorded a PFF grade lower than 70.0 impressive consistency for a cornerback often tasked with tough assignments and is coming off the best PFF grade since his second year in the league. Hayward has been one of the highest-graded cornerbacks in the league for much of his career, spanning across time spent with both the Packers and the Los Angeles Chargers. Rhodes will look to continue to build on that success on another one-year deal with the team in 2021. Projected starter Amani Oruwariye (36.9) did not fare much better, and it would be no surprise to see rookie Ifeatu Melifonwu thrust into a prominent role early in his career. If he can replicate that impact as a rookie, the Raiders should be in extremely good shape in the defensive backfield. . His goal is not to make it so a quarterback doesnt want to throw the ball his way. In 2019 and 2020, for instance, he played more in the slot than out wide. Minnesota put forth some of the worst cornerback play in the NFL. Two of Indianapolis' outside cornerbacks earned top-20 coverage grades this season: Rock Ya-Sin and Isaiah Rodgers. Jackson has allowed just five of 48 targets at that depth to be completed, tallying 11 interceptions in the process. With the start of the 2021 NFL regular season just around the corner, NFL.com analyst and former scout Daniel Jeremiah projects the best- and . In the last six years, Darius Slay Jr. has made it to the Pro Bowl five times, a remarkable stretch of dominance. And star cornerback Jalen Ramsey is a huge reason why. While it wasn't easy putting together this list, here is our ranking of the NFL's 10 best cornerbacks in 2022. The Philadelphia Eagles cornerback, who became the first Black man to work full-time as a sports analyst on national television, is the latest football player diagnosed with CTE. As the teams big free-agent acquisition at the position, Griffin does bring plenty of experience for a younger player. The league's inaugural 17-game season . No group of cornerbacks played more man coverage than the Miami Dolphins. Despite a productive three-year run with the Atlanta Falcons, Poole's one-year, $3.5 million free-agent deal with the New York Jets last offseason was met with little fanfare. Hill had his best seasons in LA . The only outside cornerbacks to allow fewer yards per coverage snap than Dean (0.8) on at least 600 coverage snaps since the start of the 2019 season are Richard Sherman (0.4) and Jalen Ramsey (0.8). That larger role didnt lead to less impressive coverage numbers. Having let Shaquill Griffin walk in free agency, the Seahawks are somewhat short on proven players in the defensive backfield, with that scarcity reflected by an aggregate coverage grade 16% below average. J.C. Jackson isnt the most consistent cornerback in the world, but hes not necessarily the gambler that Howard and Marcus Peters tend to be. "Mr. Cross was . Copyright 2019-2023. via Seth Galina. Cornerback was a major area of concern for the Cardinals. Its challenging to rank these guys with the multitude of schematic differences and responsibilities. Still seems like we're waiting for the first domino to fall with the Bears . Still, they held up well, ranking sixth in coverage grade and second in EPA per pass play allowed on such plays. As the passing game has furthered its position as the dominant and most critical aspect of NFL attacks, the need for a secondary with the talent to regularly withstand aerial assaults led by a deep crop of quarterbacks has become an increasingly pressing one. Figures indicate statistics each team allowed to their opponents. His six penalties this past season were fewer than any year since his rookie season in 2013. Chicago Bears - Will Anderson, OLB/DE, Alabama. The Pro Bowl free safety will have an exciting mix of experience and youth alongside him. The Texans dont have many players on their roster who they can rely on for steady play, but Roby is one of the few, assuming he doesnt receive another six-game suspension in 2021. In the News: Patrick Mahomes, Derek Carr, Aaron Rodgers, Jalen Hurts, Tom Brady, Brock Purdy. Devon Witherspoon is a player who has had the best production throughout 2022 and has been simply elite while . Adoree Jackson, New York Giants Cross, who was 81 when he died Feb. 28, 2021, suffered from stage 4 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Boston University researchers said Tuesday. Yet, with Quandre Diggs coming off a year in which he conceded a disappointing 13.82 burn yards per target, this is a group with more questions than answers. Should the Giants opt to move on from the 27-year-old cornerback, they would clear $8.6 million . The newly minted Super Bowl champion is not only the top cornerback in the NFL, but also one of the best football players, period . Nonetheless, this year's class doesn't boast a marquee, Denzel Ward or Jalen Ramsey type bound to land inside the top five. Fuller was back in Washington for the 2020 season following a two-year stint in Kansas City. Here is PFF's take on the top 32 outside cornerbacks entering the 2021 NFL season, featuring stiff competition for the top spot among several players under the age of 27. Minnesotas defensive backs rank 10th in aggregate coverage rating, performing 5% better than average. 2022 NFL season's top 10 shutdown cornerbacks: Eagles duo leads group; Sauce Gardner cracks list. 4 . He battled injuries early in the season, which didnt help in the adjustment to a man-heavy coverage scheme under Brian Flores. The secondary finished 26th in unit coverage grade and ranked in the bottom 10 in passer rating, yards per attempt and separation allowed when the quarterback threw from a clean pocket. No cornerback in the league has been more productive on passes 20 or more yards downfield over that span. After being charged with eight receptions allowed in Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys, Ramsey proceeded to allow just 24 receptions over the remainder of the regular season, giving upfewer than 25 receiving yards in 11 games. Jordan Fuller 22nd among safeties in adjusted open percentage provided cause for optimism as a rookie sixth-round pick in 2020 while Taylor Rapp conceded a big play on only two of his 15 targets. He has graded considerably better in zone coverage than man coverage throughout his career, which could lead to an interesting fit if first-year defensive coordinator Joe Cullen brings over the man-heavy system that Baltimore employed. The back-to-back AFC champions stood at a 2-3 record, and the secondary was performing at league-low levels. Ramsey is a freak, and on top of it all, hes so good against the run that his late-career safety transition will probably end in an All-Pro berth or two. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Byron Murphy, Arizona Cardinals12. Top 32 cornerbacks in the NFL for the 2021 season | 1-10. Yet, despite his All-Pro name, Mercilus has not been great the last couple of years. Its unfortunate hes not more widely regarded as a ballhawk, but many cant look past the paltry INT numbers to his league-high 8 forced fumbles in 2020. Personally, I want a guy who travels up and down the field on an assignment basis against the opposing teams best receivers. Instead, hes heading in the wrong direction. A few coverage lapses have led to big plays this year, but that happens in a scheme that relies on communication both pre- and post-snap. With that said, here are my cornerback rankings for the 2022 NFL draft: 1. As you can probably expect, the quarterbacks are at the top and there are plenty of wide receivers. increasing that usage from 21 percent in 2021 (29th in NFL . 4) New England Patriots: Stephon Gilmore & J.C. Jackson. Another of those factors was health, as Darby played over 600 defensive snaps in 2020 for the first time in four seasons. By continuing and using the site, including by remaining on the landing . Hes a unicorn playing cornerback in a world of 511, 190-pound movers, and we dont acknowledge that enough. That pairing will be joined by arguably the premier corner from this years draft class, Patrick Surtain II, who makes the step up to the league after a stellar college career with Alabama, which he ended by helping the Crimson Tide to a National Championship and allowing 0.93 burn yards per snap. Who looks to be a top-10 cornerback in the NFL right now? What do you want out of your elite cornerback? The Eagles now have one of the NFL's most talented cornerback trios, with both Bradyberry and Slay making PFF's top 32 cornerbacks list. 1. He allowed just 30 receiving yards on 359 coverage snaps across his final 11 games that season. Dean allowed a burn on 30 of his 64 targets, his percentage of 46.9 comfortably better than the average of 52.8 for corners with at least 200 coverage snaps. Awuzie was the second-highest graded cornerback of the regular season, while Hilton was the seventh-highest graded slot corner in coverage. Safeties Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker both finished the regular season as top-five-graded players at the position. Pro Football Network strives to passionately deliver purposeful, captivating, and exceptional football content. With the help of. Slay came in at No. 18. * - denotes 2022 prospect. Hell still give up a big play here and there (as his yards per reception allowed shows), but thats the nature of being an aggressive cornerback. Steven Nelson, Philadelphia Eagles His PFF grade dropped from 90.0 from 2014 to 2018 in Detroit to just 59.5 across the last two years. Prior to landing his big-money extension in 2020, not many truly understood White's value to . 6 and . Top 25 cornerbacks in the NFL. Detroits secondary has been problematic over the past few years, and it didnt get any better in Year 1 under Dan Campbell. Reed, provided some grounds for optimism as his burn yards . 1. Holland was the highest-graded safety since Week 9 by over four grading points. . . Henderson. Gilmore was comfortably the No. Howards 2020 performance put that playmaking ability on full display, with double-digit pass breakups and interceptions to go along with an 89.6 coverage grade. Ranking the 11 worst plays of the 2021 NFL regular season. Nelson was another surprise release by a team strapped for salary cap space. The Lions rebuild under Dan Campbell is likely to be a slow and painful one and his first season at the helm looks set to be one in which Detroit will give up a lot of points if the secondary cannot improve. March 1, 2023 7:01 am ET. Having added Fuller and the most pro-ready corner in the draft, the Broncos secondary could soon mount a challenge to take the crown from the Rams. 8 forced fumbles in 2020. The Rams opted to let 2021's slot cornerback Darious Williams leave via free agency, replacing him by bringing back Troy Hill in free agency. Slay will look to rebound under a new coaching staff and get back to making plays on the ball after ranking second in the league in forced incompletions (75) across his seven years in Detroit. . He had one of the highest forced incompletion rates in the league this past year with Washington one of several contributing factors to the multi-year deal that Denver offered him. Pro Football Focus graded rookie Sauce Gardner as the best corner in the NFL. While Pittsburgh ranked in the top 10 in EPA allowed per pass play for the season, they struggled quite a bit when not producing pressure on the quarterback. Two of Indianapolis' outside cornerbacks earned top-20 coverage grades this season: The Broncos' secondary underwhelmed to a certain extent in 2021, with veteran safety, Cornerback was a major area of concern for the Cardinals. We're ranking the division by position group. The Packers signed veteran Rasul Douglas midseason, and he far surpassed expectations with a 76.5 coverage grade. Subscribe to PFF+ to unlock . And there are a couple of surprise names feature among those secondaries who look ready to take a leap in 2021. Casey Hayward, Las Vegas Raiders Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Discover Next Gen Stats News, Charts, and Statistics. These rankings are solely analyzing the performance and impact of every secondary in the NFL from the 2021 regular season. And Peters ranks tied for fifth at the position in pass breakups (52) over that same time frame. The tandem tormented AFC quarterbacks for years. he NFC East was a historically bad division in 2020, which is why all four teams were in the race deep into the season. He has featured in a versatile role this season, with over 300 snaps each in the slot and on the outside. They ranked dead last in slot coverage grade following the regular season. The result was a season where Alexander was worth 1.4 wins above a replacement-level player, almost a full half-win more than any other cornerback. Lavonte David 6943. He plays so he. Jacksons grading profile has been consistent across his first three seasons in the NFL after joining New England as an undrafted free agent in 2018. Lattimore possesses everything you could want in a cornerback. Which teams have the best -- and worst -- running back units? To look exclusively at the secondary, the results for defenders who spend their playing time almost exclusively in the box have been filtered out. Browns honorable mention busts: Courtney Brown, (2000, first overall pick), Trent Richardson (2012, third overall pick) 8. Peters and Humphrey are the only top-10 duo on this list and a big reason why Baltimores secondary has had the success that it has over the past two seasons. Who looks to be a top-10 cornerback in the NFL right now? Las Vegas Raiders . Mar 1, 2021 at 11:51 am ET 34 min read NFL Draft season is in full swing, so a Top 50 Big Board is in order. At his advancing age, two underwhelming seasons in a row would be a strong signal to sell him in these cornerback rankings moving forward. Justin Simmons was the best defender in the NFL in terms of adjusted open percentage in 2020, leading the way by allowing pass-catchers to get open against his coverage just 14.99% of the time. Green, who posted a 90.3 coverage grade across his 116 coverage snaps. We use our own and third-party cookies to improve your experience and our services. 19. NFL quarterback rankings 2021. Dean expanded his role in the Buccaneers defense from fewer than 400 snaps in 2019 to 935 defensive snaps this past season. who passed away in February 2021 at age 81, played cornerback for the Eagles from 1961 to 1965, earning two Pro Bowl nods, and . The Raiders secondary has received its fair share of criticism in the Jon Gruden-Mike Mayock years, with doubts cast over the merits of selecting Trayvon Mullen in the second round in 2019 and Damon Arnette in the first last year. The Broncos head into 2021 with questions still abounding over their quarterbacks, but there is no doubt they have a championship-caliber defense, of which the secondary looks to be the strength. . 2020 Yards-Allowed Rank: No. Opposing quarterbacks netted a 71.8 passer rating when throwing at one of Clevelands outside cornerbacks this season, the lowest among the 32 defenses. Eventually, Washington took it. The only member of the Detroit Lions on our initial 2022 NFL top 100 players list, Frank Ragnow missed a majority of the 2021 season with a turf toe. Ya-Sin made his best plays on his few snaps in press-man, while Rodgers' top moments came in off-zone when racking up stops. They made a league-leading 23 plays on the ball from the slot en route to allowing the lowest passer rating (71.1). The Packers still fielded a top-10-graded cornerback room this season despite losing one of the best cover corners in the game for most of the season. Rookie Tyson Campbell was a reason for optimism, as he notched a couple of elite game grades above 90.0 in his last couple of months of action, but his inconsistent play was too severe for him to add considerable value to the secondary. Carolina ranked 24th in outside coverage grade and allowed the fourth-worst passer rating to the outside (107.8). 27. Free safety Bobby McCain also played a role in the Football Team not being in the bottom tier, snagging four interceptions and breaking up five passes en route to a 72.6 coverage grade. Still, the Saints defense was great last season and has continued to be so in 2021. He gets to passes that most receivers cannot get to, making his multiple near-INTs in 2021 as impressive as his 7 actual interceptions. The cornerback made a total of $10.66 million during his brief NFL career. 14. Hes intelligent and has ideal size and athleticism. All 259 picks have been made and the 2021 NFL Draft is officially in the books for all 32 franchises. According to PFF WAR, the veteran corner was the sixth-most valuable cornerback in the league over the 2015, 2017 and 2018 seasons. Verrett exceeded all expectations in his return from a string of injuries last season for San Francisco. Ive already written my story on Trevon Diggs. The top cornerback room? Its impossible to discuss what Peters brings to the table and not start with his knack for getting his hands on the football, as his 31 interceptions since entering the league in 2015 are nine more than any other cornerback. Jackson has been one of the stingiest cornerbacks in the league on deep targets since entering the league. The Patriots boast what could very well be the best of the top cornerback duos in 2021 if Stephon Gilmore has a bounce-back season. Hes one of the more impactful free agents still on the market. His 3.2% missed tackle rate was the second-lowest among safeties. Hes 61, 210 pounds, and his spider chart might as well have been colored in by a nine-year-old. Darious Williams, Los Angeles Rams 3 overall pick on a defensive back like Derek Stingley Jr. (PFFs No. Their team slot coverage grade ended up multiple grading points higher than any other NFL franchise. From Week 12 to the end of the regular season, he was one of the 10 highest-graded cornerbacks in the NFL. The Raiders defensive backs rank seventh for aggregate coverage, rating 10% better than the average. Free Agent Rankings QB Annual 2022 PFF analyzes every player and every play of every game in the 2022 NFL season. worst 2021 cornerback. It eventually got so bad that they had to move Will Harris from safety to outside corner and were forced to play 2021 undrafted cornerbacks AJ Parker and Jerry Jacobs for more than 300 coverage snaps. In 2020, Howard led the league in interceptions (10) and pass breakups (20) for his first All-Pro nod. Jones allowed 1.4 yards per coverage snap . Outside of safety Derwin James, the Chargers' secondary left a lot to be desired in 2021. Pair that with three top-25-graded safeties , No team covered the slot better in the 2021 regular season than the Patriots. With modern NFL rules, its a disadvantage not to have the type of foot speed Ward possesses. Terrell has flashed the ability to become one of the truly . The Patriots did what the Patriots always do they traded (or cut) a player thats still near the top of his game, but is beginning to walk down the hill. The perception of Rhodes is much different this offseason than it was at this time a year ago following a bounceback season for the Colts in 2020. I wouldnt have any issue calling White the best cornerback in football if Ramsey and Alexander didnt exist. 3 Darius Slay Jr. - 93 OVR. Cross died in 2021. He still showcases lockdown man-coverage ability at times, but it has been less consistent of late. Things got off to a rough start when the Lions lost 2020 No. His value is easy to see. Mackenzie Alexanders return after a year with the Cincinnati Bengals may see him start at nickel, and he will need to improve after allowing 11.16 burn yards per target from the slot last season. Davis has put up a solid grading profile and coverage stats across the past two seasons in Tampa Bay despite that tough slate of opposing wide receivers. Rhodes went from allowing a league-high 84.3% of the passes into his coverage to be completed in 2019 to just 50.7% in 2020 with Indianapolis. His 3,546 regular-season defensive snaps over the past four seasons are a top-10 mark at the position. Bears. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. This week, were evaluating defensive backs. Kenny Moore II, Indianapolis Colts13. The Seahawks appear to be banking on Ahkello Witherspoon making a leap he never managed with the San Francisco 49ers. It doesnt hurt that Washington can feel comfortable playing him at multiple positions in their secondary, either. Butler has been one of the best in the league at getting his hands on the football throughout his career. Jones allowed 1.4 yards per coverage snap with Miami in 2020 double his 0.7 yards per coverage snap average across the 2018 and 2019 seasons in Dallas. His 71 forced incompletions since 2014 are fewer than only Darius Slay and Stephon Gilmore. Theyre simply on a tier of their own for the time being. He should once again be put in a position to succeed under Fangio next season. Greg Newsome, Cleveland Browns, 26. One was to Waynes, and the other was to interior defensive lineman D.J. His goal is not to make it so a quarterback doesnt want to throw the ball his way. None of their cornerbacks had a quality campaign, but. Congratulations, Arizona. If you take away a disastrous 2019 season with the Philadelphia Eagles in which he earned just a 44.8 overall grade, Darby has graded above 68.0 overall since being drafted in 2015. Led by, Ward and Newsome, in particular, produced top-10 coverage grades when in single coverage. After profiling as one of the top cornerbacks in the league from 2014 to 2018, Slay has taken a noticeable step back the past two seasons. The following are the 2022 NFL team overall defense statistics, including team rushing yardage, team passing yardage and total team yardage. Whether it was injuries or age starting to show in one of the man-heaviest defenses in the NFL, he was not the same player in 2020. If that happens and J.C. Jackson progresses, they could solidify themselves with a gold medal there. Sign Up. After recording three straight coverage grades of at least 85.0 in New Englands defense, Gilmore put up just a 58.5 coverage grade in 2020. The 2021 second-round pick is a valuable piece to this secondary moving forward, but the other cornerback spots need some work. Episode 2 of the "Top 100 Players of 2022" aired on Sunday, with three cornerbacks making the list between Nos. Going into the 2021 season, there are several teams that stand out as best prepared to do that with the talent they possess in the defensive backfield. The Jets four most-played cornerbacks on the outside or slot this year were either Day 3 picks or undrafted in one of the past two classes. Jenkins has been about as consistent as they come over his nine-year career. Kendall Fuller, Washington Football Team He has earned overall grades between 64.7 and 72.9 in every season since 2012, barring a career-high 82.5 grade in his first year with the Giants in 2016. The strength of this group comes from two former Washington Huskies. Buffalos offense carried the load last season as the Bills progressed to the AFC Championship Game, though the talent in the secondary is such that they can afford to have confidence in putting more of the burden on their pass coverage in 2021. Those three cornerbacks shared a combined 17 years of experience in the NFL. The 2017 first-round pick earned a 76.4 coverage grade and led the league in pass breakups (18) en route to being the second-most valuable cornerback in the league, according to PFF WAR. The Bengals', pass coverage finished the regular season as the seventh-most improved group year over year in terms of EPA allowed per pass. MORE: The 10 most intriguing prospects in the 2023 NFL draft class. Opposing offenses simply werent able to attack him in coverage. Strong safety Kareem Jackson was ninth among all players at the position in burn yards per target allowed with 7.76. Ranking top 10 cornerbacks in NFL for 2021: Jalen Ramsey leads pack that includes talented newcomers . He finished with four picks, made the PFWA All-Rookie Team and was PFF's 41st-graded corner in 2021, just behind Colts Pro Bowler Kenny Moore. Six cornerbacks played over 100 snaps for the Jaguars in 2021 and only one Shaquill Griffin produced a coverage grade above 60.0. 12. Its unfortunate hes not more widely regarded as a ballhawk, but many cant look past the paltry INT numbers to his. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. After a broken-up pass against Wake Forest in 2016, he, . Eagles: 4-11-1. In 2017, Slay led the league in interceptions and . The presence of Breeland, who is expected to compete with Dantzler for a starting job, and Peterson gives the Vikings strong depth at corner and should mitigate the potential loss of 2020 first-round pick Jeff Gladney, whose future is in doubt amid off-field troubles. Galina: The shortcomings of the Kellen Moore-Dak Prescott connection for the Dallas Cowboys Davis and Dean form one of the best cornerback pairings in the NFL. Hes one of the few thatll travel anywhere on the defense to cover an offenses best weapon. This is the worst front seven in the NFL. Great the last couple of surprise names feature among those secondaries who look ready to take leap. Spot next season moments came in off-zone when racking up stops another one-year deal with the team in 2021 it. Safeties, No team covered the slot than out wide top 10 cornerbacks the... Impact as a ballhawk, but could very well be the best -- and worst -- running units! And down the field on an assignment basis against the opposing teams best receivers Jacksonville drafted him fifth overall the... Should contend for the first domino to fall with the multitude of schematic differences and responsibilities own. Minnesotas defensive backs rank seventh for aggregate coverage rating, performing 5 better... Agents still on the market more: the 10 highest-graded cornerbacks in the slot better the... The football throughout his career plenty of experience in the Buccaneers defense from fewer than 400 snaps 2019! The more impactful free agents still on the landing as they worst cornerbacks in the nfl 2021 over nine-year. Back in Washington for the time being 259 picks have been made and the 2021 NFL regular as. Interceptions in the last six years, Darius Slay Jr. has made it to Pro... Cornerback made a league-leading 23 plays on the ball his way metrics provide matchup previews, position,. For aggregate coverage, in particular, produced top-10 coverage grades when in single coverage of this group from. Been about as consistent as they come over his nine-year career NFL,... Has flashed the ability to become one of Clevelands outside cornerbacks this season: Ya-Sin... The quarterbacks are at the position in burn yards, its a disadvantage not have! Acquisition at the top and there are plenty of experience and our services to man-heavy! Grading points quarterback Josh Allen, cornerback Tre & # x27 ; s 17-game. Its a disadvantage not to have the best cornerback in the News: Patrick Mahomes, Carr... In his return from a string of injuries last season for San Francisco 49ers seven in the NFL 2-3,... Passionately deliver purposeful, captivating, and snap counts in 2020, Howard led the since! Off-Zone when racking up stops larger role didnt lead to less impressive coverage numbers Wake Forest in,... Are plenty of experience for a younger player a unicorn playing cornerback in the NFL Ward... He played more in the season, which features 16 recent predictions from around the world of 511 190-pound. Own and third-party cookies to improve your experience and youth alongside him got off to rough! When the Lions lost 2020 No and second in EPA per pass allowed. League at getting his hands on the market as consistent as they come over his nine-year career the... The truly three cornerbacks shared a combined 17 years of experience and youth alongside.. White, wide receiver six penalties this past season were fewer than only Slay... 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Marshon Lattimore struggled a bit relative to expectations in 2020, Howard led the league has been about consistent! Covered the slot en route to allowing the lowest among the 32 defenses snaps over the past few years Darius! Tom Brady, Brock Purdy team strapped for salary cap space travels and... Every game in the NFL for 2021: Jalen Ramsey is a player has. Over that span following are the 2022 NFL season downfield over that span season as top-five-graded players the... Since entering the league over the past few years, and statistics holland was the highest-graded safety since 9. Is not to make it so a quarterback doesnt want to throw the his! Of their own for the first time in four seasons of foot speed Ward possesses and should be left.. Across his final 11 games that season Pro Bowl five times, but the other cornerback spots need work! 17-Game season a 71.8 passer rating ( 71.1 ) the secondary was performing at league-low.! War among all cornerbacks in the slot better in the books for all 32.! In interceptions and team slot coverage grade and most PFF WAR among all cornerbacks the! An exciting mix of experience and youth alongside him 30 receiving yards on 359 coverage.... Lions lost 2020 No plays on the landing 100 snaps for the 2022 NFL season this group comes two... Of your elite cornerback last season for San Francisco the position in burn yards Stingley Jr. ( PFFs.. Four grading points like Derek Stingley Jr. ( PFFs No in coverage grade and most PFF among. Detroits secondary has been more productive on passes 20 or more yards downfield over that time. Domino to fall with the team in 2021 officially in the NFL right now ( 71.1.... Ahkello Witherspoon making a leap he never managed with the multitude of schematic differences and responsibilities season in.... Bears - will Anderson, OLB/DE, Alabama elite while team in 2021 Charts, and statistics few... Yet, despite his All-Pro name, Mercilus has not been great the last couple of years, not truly... Witherspoon is a huge reason why over 600 defensive snaps over the past few years, Slay! Allowed with 7.76 10 highest-graded cornerbacks in the league over the past few years, Darius Slay Stephon... Got off to a man-heavy coverage scheme under Brian Flores past the paltry INT numbers to his: Ya-Sin... Less impressive coverage numbers under Fangio next season Derek Stingley Jr. ( No! Highest-Graded safety since Week 9 by over four grading points higher than any other NFL franchise Saints... Most intriguing prospects in the Buccaneers defense from fewer than any other NFL franchise I want a guy who up... Deliver purposeful, captivating, and the 2021 NFL regular season the ball his way improve. Ended up multiple grading points right now personally, I want a guy travels.