However, with a full offseason under their belt to coalesce further, the arrow is pointing up for a young and clearly talented secondary that will again be playing behind one of the best front sevens in football after the Bucs kept the band together for another run in 2021. No team, this season than Baltimore. And we mustnt forget about the impact of rookie safety Jevon Holland. 2022 season/2023 NFL Draft outlook. Okudah allowed the offense to gain +1.0 EPA on 43.2 percent of his targets in coverage, the worst rate in the league . Jackson is fluid and explosive with great natural feet to play a sticky brand of man coverage. He isnt at the top of the CB rankings yet simply because this is all so new. who passed away in February 2021 at age 81, played cornerback for the Eagles from 1961 to 1965, earning two Pro Bowl nods, and . And he only got better as the season progressed. 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. Brian Poole (not re-signed) was the only cornerback to hold opponents to negative EPA per target in 2020. . Outside of safety Derwin James, the Chargers' secondary left a lot to be desired in 2021. Jaire Alexander is responsible for my favorite troll of all time on a football field. Carolina ranked 24th in outside coverage grade and allowed the fourth-worst passer rating to the outside (107.8). Ramsey produced the highest coverage grade and most PFF WAR among all cornerbacks in the regular season. The defense endured blows at multiple position groups, including in the secondary with Marcus Peters (torn ACL in the preseason) and Marlon Humphrey (torn pectoral in Week 13). Six cornerbacks played over 100 snaps for the Jaguars in 2021 and only one , Injuries destroyed the Ravens this past season. From Week 12 to the end of the regular season, he was one of the 10 highest-graded cornerbacks in the NFL. Eric Kendricks 639 # . Gilmore was comfortably the No. Although Ringo grew up dreaming of scoring touchdowns, his path to being a high draft pick could come because of his ability to prevent them. That's when deals are officially negotiated and reported signings fly across . Marshon Lattimore struggled a bit relative to expectations in 2020, but hes back with a vengeance in 2021. In the worst case scenario, Surtain could be a good safety in the NFL, but he looks like a safe pick . 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. Those missed opportunities only make the 77.5 passer rating allowed over that span (13th in the NFL) more impressive. 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. Much of the Raiders presence in the top 10 is tied to the astute acquisition of veteran corner Casey Hayward, whose adjusted open percentage of 17.3 was the fifth-best in the NFL among players at all defensive positions, though a less impressive burn yards per target average of 11.20 reflects how often he was left on an island for the Los Angeles Chargers last year. The Panthers' outside coverage, in particular, was the weakest link. David Carr constructs his own ranking of the top 10 cornerbacks, but All-Pro . 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. The ability to limit production like Ramsey did against top-flight talent is invaluable for the Los Angeles Rams defense. White does a fantastic job of toeing the line between aggressive and reckless. 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. Not a single one of Dallas' top eight defensive backs by snaps earned a coverage grade in poor territory below 60.0. So this is one of the worst cornerback trios in the NFL, not just the NFC West. Hes a wide receiver baiting quarterbacks into throwing passes that he can jump. but it was his worst season from a production allowed standpoint since making the switch to cornerback in 2018. Rankings&Projections |WR/CB Matchup Chart |NFL & NCAA Betting Dashboards | NFL Player Props Tool | NFL & NCAA Power Rankings However, in White, the Bills have a shutdown corner who can lift the play of those around him. He gets his hands on passes left and right without getting himself so out of position that hes unable to recover. In both 2019 and 2020, he recorded a pressure rate below 9% (per SIS Datahub). Hes 61, 210 pounds, and his spider chart might as well have been colored in by a nine-year-old. There is a perception that Shermans better days are behind him, but entering his age-33 season, there is still plenty of room for Sherman to take a step back and still be one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL. The defense endured blows at multiple position groups, including in the secondary with, Detroits secondary has been problematic over the past few years, and it didnt get any better in Year 1 under Dan Campbell. 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. Ranking who the top 32 cornerbacks in the NFL are for 2021 is like trying to rank your children. 32. Pittsburgh also went from second to 29th in passer rating allowed on deep targets year over year. His 75.8 coverage grade in 2020 ranked 15th among all qualifying cornerbacks across the league, and he was called for just two penalties all year. He remains among the league leaders in targets, and with that comes the yards. PFF's exclusive metrics provide Cornerback (CB) position rankings, grades, and snap counts. His goal is not to make it so a quarterback doesnt want to throw the ball his way. 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. The former Samford Bulldog put up one of the better performances of any cornerback in the league against Allen Robinson II, allowing just one reception on six targets with three pass breakups and an interception in that Week 2 matchup. Outside corner J.C. Jackson was also one of the best at his respective position, earning a top-five PFF grade in the regular season. The 2021 second-round pick is a valuable piece to this secondary moving forward, but the other cornerback spots need some work. Fuller was back in Washington for the 2020 season following a two-year stint in Kansas City. Verrett exceeded all expectations in his return from a string of injuries last season for San Francisco. Xavien Howard has always been an outstanding blend of consistency and aggression. Verrett fought back to earn a starting job with the 49ers in 2020 and put up a top-20 PFF grade among qualifying cornerbacks on a career-high 803 defensive snaps. Cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon . Veteran Artie Burns and seventh-round rookie Thomas Graham Jr. were small-sample darlings with 85.1 and 90.6 coverage grades, respectively, but they didnt get enough reps to make a sizable dent. Houston Texans: Whitney Mercilus, OLB. NFL defenses will ask very different things of their cornerbacks, depending on the scheme they run. The rankings were produced by multiplying each players coverage baseline by a projected target share for 2021, which is dependent on their position on the depth chart, with the results then aggregated at the team level to produce that defenses coverage grade. Hes picked off nine passes over the past three seasons, and that total should be even higher, as Hadens nine dropped interceptions since 2018 are tied for the most at the position. It shouldnt be a surprise that the group finished with one of the three-lowest unit coverage grades of the year. Washington possessed one of the better defenses in the NFL in 2020;Jacksons addition should only improve it, giving them a No. In truth, he could be there already. Its part of what makes identifying the leagues best at the position so challenging. He was 10th in the NFL at his position in adjusted open percentage (21.58). Jan 10, 2022. While it wasn't easy putting together this list, here is our ranking of the NFL's 10 best cornerbacks in 2022. Humphrey impacts the games in all the ways you want him to. Since 2019, Marlon Humphreys done exactly that in Wink Martindales aggressive man-to-man scheme. Henderson. They were among the five least valuable secondaries in the league, and the cornerback room, in particular, finished as the second-lowest graded group. Slay came in at No. 1. We started to see signs of the Louisville product's playmaking ability in 2019, as his 16 forced incompletions ranked second at the position. which is used by all 32 NFL teams we'll rank all 32 NFL secondaries from the 2021 regular season. 2022 NFL Cornerback Rankings. Should Malcolm Butler and Robert Alford earn starting roles, they will provide veteran presences at outside corner, yet their recent play should not inspire much confidence. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. In all, 17.1% of the targets into his coverage have resulted in either a pass breakup or interception over his career, a top-five mark among qualifiers at the position. In 2017, Slay led the league in interceptions and . Green allowed only six receptions for 70 yards on 22 targets while breaking up five and picking off one. Greedy Williams, Cleveland Browns The Rank value requires a minimum number of snaps played. The Buccaneers game in Week 5 was the culmination of bad luck early in the season, and it resulted in Howard allowing a season-high 89 yards in coverage. The Eagles aren't the best NFC East team on paper. If you built a cornerback in a lab, they would look like Ramsey. The Vikings' gave up the third-most yards on the outside (1,802) while also tying for the third-fewest plays on the ball (18) at the position. 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. Hes intelligent and has ideal size and athleticism. 1 wide receiver in man coverage. Ask any executive or coach around the league at this Asante Samuel Jr. showed some positive play at times this season, with seven pass breakups and two interceptions, but he still finished with a triple-digit passer rating allowed en route to being the 11th-most valuable rookie corner. 30. Veteran. Slot corner Mackensie Alexanders down season didnt help matters, either. sustained a top-five pass defense in terms of expected points added (EPA) allowed per pass down the final stretch of the 2021 regular season. NAME SEASON TM GP TKL AST COMB SCK SCKY INT INT YDS INT TD FF FR FR TD; Jahleel Addae: 2021: IND. 3 Darius Slay Jr. - 93 OVR. Cross died in 2021. Their defensive backs possess an aggregate coverage grade 14% above average. Obviously, this is a subjective endeavor, and we could argue for days about the names that are too high or too low. 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. Considering the team introduced new starters on the outside in Jackrabbit Jenkins and Kristian Fulton and in the slot in Elijah Molden, thats still above preseason expectations. Were taking a look at the best and worst units in football at each positional grouping. The lack of talent and experience was apparent, especially without safety Marcus Maye, who ruptured his Achilles midway through the season. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph did a good job of adjusting his defense and playing less man coverage to take stress off that unit, but the Cardinals still finished 26th in outside coverage grade for the year. The Packers signed veteran Rasul Douglas midseason, and he far surpassed expectations with a 76.5 coverage grade. 1 cornerback who will allow them to play more man coverage if they desire. While Surtain will go early in the 2021 NFL Draft, he is not as good of a prospect as Jalen Ramsey or C.J. The back-to-back AFC champions stood at a 2-3 record, and the secondary was performing at league-low levels. a 2016 second-round pick has been the worst safety in the NFL this year. Jackson burst onto the scene with a 90.4 coverage grade in his first season of action back in 2017. 6 on the list, as his 86.2 coverage . Since 2017, he has forced more incompletions on passes 20-plus yards downfield (18) than he has receptions allowed (14). Even with the big plays allowed early in the season, quarterbacks have just a 68.1 rating when targeting Lattimore this season. Williams career trajectory is very similar to Dean's in that he graded exceptionally well in a limited role in 2019 and didnt take any sort of step back in a full-time starting job this past season. They consistently ranked near the bottom of the league in every metric imaginable, including defensive back PFF WAR generated: Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley brought his patented Seahawk Cover 3 defense and got the right players in place to carry it out at a quality level. T.J. Green has played because of . Fuller is set to be reunited with Vic Fangio in Denver. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. . His technical inconsistencies are the only thing keeping him from being among that next tier up. 14. Terrell was actually the second-highest graded cornerback in coverage in the 2021 regular season, behind only Jalen Ramsey. Safety Jayron Kearse was the highest-graded defensive back on the roster, due in large part to his strong tackling. 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. After a broken-up pass against Wake Forest in 2016, he pranced behind the unsuspecting receiver in a manner Ive never witnessed. Buffalos secondary endured a crushing blow in Week 12 when CB1 TreDavious White went down with a season-ending torn ACL. 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. Bears. Taron Johnson, Buffalo Bills He is expected to compete with 2020 first-round pick Damon Arnette for one of the starting jobs in Las Vegas, reuniting with defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. Dean expanded his role in the Buccaneers defense from fewer than 400 snaps in 2019 to 935 defensive snaps this past season. Ranking The Top 20 Cornerbacks in the NFL 2021Top 20 NFL CB in 2021NFL Cornerback Rankings before the 2021 NFL SeasonTop 20 Corners according to MitchMitch o. They made a league-leading 23 plays on the ball from the slot en route to allowing the lowest passer rating (71.1). However, if White can keep up his torrent pace in 2021, he could easily elevate into the same conversation for CB1. William Jackson III, Washington Football Team He had spent the vast majority of his time in the slot across the first four years of his NFL career, even dabbling at safety with the Chiefs in 2019. Six cornerbacks played over 100 snaps for the Jaguars in 2021 and only one Shaquill Griffin produced a coverage grade above 60.0. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. Bryce Callahan, Denver Broncos * - denotes 2022 prospect. Henderson. 4-overall prospect). Aug 3, 2021. And there are a couple of surprise names feature among those secondaries who look ready to take a leap in 2021. No team covered the slot better in the 2021 regular season than the Patriots. 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. By continuing and using the site, including by remaining on the landing . His -37.2 EPA when targeted is twice as productive as any other defender in the league. 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. CORNERBACK PROSPECT RANKING 2023 NFL DRAFT. This week, were evaluating defensive backs. Minnesotas defensive backs rank 10th in aggregate coverage rating, performing 5% better than average. Only one defensive back nickel cornerback, Galina: The shortcomings of the Kellen Moore-Dak Prescott connection for the Dallas Cowboys. Personally, I want a guy who travels up and down the field on an assignment basis against the opposing teams best receivers. The safety pairing of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer may also be hoping for a bounce-back year, with the latter having allowed a burn on 13 of his 28 targets at free safety in 2020. His six penalties this past season were fewer than any year since his rookie season in 2013. From Week 7 on, he was one of the 25 highest-graded cornerbacks in the NFL. He should give the Broncos some playmaking ability at cornerback if he can stay healthy. Marcus Peters, Baltimore Ravens Teams are afraid to throw at Surtain, and he has one of the lowest target totals among . 2020 Points-Allowed Rank: No. 2022 NFL season's top 10 shutdown cornerbacks: Eagles duo leads group; Sauce Gardner cracks list. Cornerback Adoree Jackson and safety Xavier McKinney helped claw this secondary to a No. 23. Their team slot coverage grade ended up multiple grading points higher than any other NFL franchise. White is right there with Howard as one of the best playmaking cornerbacks in the league. Ward was one of the first to fit the new modern mold of NFL cornerback. Age: 28 (29 on 8/4/23) Playing time: 16 games, 316 special teams snaps (77.07% of team total), 63 defensive snaps (5.99% of team total) Key statistics: 19 tackles, 1 quarterback hit, 4 pass . Opposing quarterbacks netted a 71.8 passer rating when throwing at one of Clevelands outside cornerbacks this season, the lowest among the 32 defenses. There is no shortage of defensive weapons on Clevelands roster. Similar to the receiver spot, college is pumping out NFL-ready cornerbacks every draft season, although last year's group failed to meet the hype, particularly the first rounders. Kendall Fuller was one of the three most valuable cornerbacks of the 2021 season and helped a great deal in Washington ranking even this high. 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 remains the case, Buffalos secondary should stay among the best in the league even with only marginal improvements made by his teammates. The cornerback made a total of $10.66 million during his brief NFL career.
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