Veteran. 16 ranking despite the team's poor state overall. 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. The lack of talent and experience was apparent, especially without safety, Houstons fielded the lowest-graded secondary in the NFL by a whopping eight grading points. Chidobe Awuzie, Cincinnati Bengals The yards on Diggs ledger are largely hollow. 6 on the list, as his 86.2 coverage . If Ramsey is the freak, Alexander is the new mold. In 2020, Howard led the league in interceptions (10) and pass breakups (20) for his first All-Pro nod. 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. The newly minted Super Bowl champion is not only the top cornerback in the NFL, but also one of the best football players, period . The Eagles aren't the best NFC East team on paper. Xavien Howard picked an opportune time to hold out for a new contract.. Henderson. Still, hes a gifted tactician at the position and will get back on his feet this season. If it werent for A.J. The Seahawks appear to be banking on Ahkello Witherspoon making a leap he never managed with the San Francisco 49ers. which is used by all 32 NFL teams we'll rank all 32 NFL secondaries from the 2021 regular season. The dude still smacks like a truck as a tackler and despite allowing over 60% completions, hes only allowing 5.5 yards per target and under 10 yards per catch. . Cleveland also received some sneaky high-quality play from 2020 undrafted free agent A.J. 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. Blake Martinez 6575. There is a massive amount of talent currently at the position. 18. No team covered the slot better in the 2021 regular season than the Patriots. Copyright 2019-2023. 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. Jamel Dean, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31. The NFL's top 11 safeties. MORE: The 10 most intriguing prospects in the 2023 NFL draft class. In truth, he could be there already. He returns to the field in 2022, a huge boost . KEY: Gms = Games Played, Tot Pts = Total Points Scored, Pts/G = Points Per Game, RushYds = Rushing Yards, RYds/G = Rushing Yards Per Game . Cross died in 2021. Opposing quarterbacks netted a 71.8 passer rating when throwing at one of Clevelands outside cornerbacks this season, the lowest among the 32 defenses. The Jets might have the best group of cornerbacks in the NFL a far cry from 2021, when they might have had the worst. NFL Player Grades - current. His aggression will burn him on occasion, but you cant say that Peters doesnt make up for it with the positives he brings to the table. The real stars of this group are Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, who rank second and third, respectively, in coverage grade among safeties. (Gary Cosby Jr./. Bradberry put up solid performances against a difficult slate of NFC South cornerbacks across the first four seasons of his career with the Carolina Panthers, but he took a clear step forward in his first year with the Giants last season. 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. 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. 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. 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. This group should contend for the top spot next season. Free-agent signing William Jackson III was an up-and-down performer. But it's easy to know who the favorite is. 4) New England Patriots: Stephon Gilmore & J.C. Jackson. The key to the Lions improving in that regard will be Jeff Okudahs ability to shake off a difficult rookie season and justify his status as the third overall pick in 2020. He grew up in . Tennessees loss has turned into the Giants gain. 24. The top cornerbacks for 2022 are all established stars who are all playing some of the best football of their careers. Marlon Humphrey, Baltimore Ravens. Best Bets Tool. Humphreys seamless inside-outside versatility is a big reason why he ranks so highly here. . Instead, hes heading in the wrong direction. 2021 stats: 11 games (11 starts), 1 INT, 6 PBUs, 1 FF, 1 FR, 0.5 sacks, 41 combined tackles (27 solo). 29. Strong safety Kareem Jackson was ninth among all players at the position in burn yards per target allowed with 7.76. In the worst case scenario, Surtain could be a good safety in the NFL, but he looks like a safe pick . The Raiders entered 2021 on a streak of arguably the worst defensive back play in the entire NFL. 1. With modern NFL rules, its a disadvantage not to have the type of foot speed Ward possesses. The seven touchdowns allowed into his coverage this past season were tied for second-most of any cornerback in the league. 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. Since entering the league in 2016, 18.7% of his targets in coverage have resulted in a pass breakup or interception, leadingall cornerbacks who have been targeted at least 150 times over those five years. 22. Greg Newsome, Cleveland Browns, 26. 27. Only one defensive back nickel cornerback, Galina: The shortcomings of the Kellen Moore-Dak Prescott connection for the Dallas Cowboys. NFL's Next Gen Stats captures real time location data, speed and acceleration for every player, every play on every inch of the field. Only two cornerbacks gave up a big play in coverage more regularly than Okudah, who did so on 43.9% of his targets. He gets to passes that most receivers cannot get to, making his multiple near-INTs in 2021 as impressive as his 7 actual interceptions. Not a single one of Dallas' top eight defensive backs by snaps earned a coverage grade in poor territory below 60.0. 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. Jackson missed the majority of the 2020 season with a lingering knee injury, but he profiled as one of the most promising young cornerbacks in the league before last year, fresh off a career-high 82.5 coverage grade in 2019. a 2016 second-round pick has been the worst safety in the NFL this year. Jenkins was part of the facelift at the cornerback position for Tennessee this offseason, replacing Malcolm Butler and Adoree Jackson with Jenkins and first-round pick Caleb Farley. His 71.5 overall grade in 2020 was his highest single-season mark since back in 2017 with the Broncos. 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. NFL quarterback rankings 2021. Cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon . Veteran Casey Hayward Jr. who played in Bradley's scheme with the Los Angeles Chargers was the 13th-highest graded outside corner of the regular season, while rookie Nate Hobbs was the highest-graded slot corner. He recorded coverage grades of at least 72.0 in each of his first three seasons in the league and has allowed just 51.4% of the passes thrown into his coverage to be completed. The Broncos' secondary underwhelmed to a certain extent in 2021, with veteran safety Kareem Jackson and cornerback free agent pickups Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby all producing poor coverage grades below 60.0. Terrells breakout to elite status, Atlanta would be threatening to place last on this list. Figures indicate statistics each team allowed to their opponents. If that remains the case, Buffalos secondary should stay among the best in the league even with only marginal improvements made by his teammates. It doesnt matter where Ramsey is at, though hes been a top-tier player at either position. 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. Things got off to a rough start when the Lions lost 2020 No. 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). 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. But certain units . 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. Jan 10, 2022. "Mr. Cross was . Still, they held up well, ranking sixth in coverage grade and second in EPA per pass play allowed on such plays. 3 Darius Slay Jr. - 93 OVR. . 90-81. He battled injuries early in the season, which didnt help in the adjustment to a man-heavy coverage scheme under Brian Flores. Still, the Saints defense was great last season and has continued to be so in 2021. Kansas City's defense looked dead in the water after the first five weeks of the season. Published: Oct 20, 2022 at 03:19 PM . The slot was also a considerable issue all year long, as Chicago produced the sixth-worst coverage grade at the position this season. Ex-NFL cornerback Irv Cross, who died in 2021 years after being diagnosed with dementia, had Stage 4 CTE after nearly a decade of playing in the NFL, researchers said Tuesday To further my point, Matthew Staffords EPA is 39, and hes an MVP candidate at quarterback. His 84.6 PFF grade finished as the third-best at the position. The lack of talent and experience was apparent, especially without safety Marcus Maye, who ruptured his Achilles midway through the season. Six cornerbacks played over 100 snaps for the Jaguars in 2021 and only one Shaquill Griffin produced a coverage grade above 60.0. Green, who posted a 90.3 coverage grade across his 116 coverage snaps. Byron Murphy, Arizona Cardinals12. This week, were evaluating defensive backs. Only one defensive back nickel cornerback Tavierre Thomas didnt produce a sub-60.0 coverage grade. Alexander has those piercing eyes that make him and Randall Cobb look related, and I cant imagine having to line up against him with those things staring a hole through the crown of my nose. Rhodes will look to continue to build on that success on another one-year deal with the team in 2021. The secondary is the last unit remaining. He allowed just 30 receiving yards on 359 coverage snaps across his final 11 games that season. The 2021 top-10 pick allowed over 60 yards just once last season and led the draft class in combined interceptions and pass breakups (12). None of their cornerbacks had a quality campaign, but Bashaud Breeland who was waived in mid-December was the main reason for the outside struggles. He still showcases lockdown man-coverage ability at times, but it has been less consistent of late. 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. The official start of NFL free agency doesn't begin until March 13. Thats a tip of the cap to everyone in the secondary for stepping up, including 2020 seventh-rounder, Tampa Bay dealt with a pile of injuries and COVID-19 in their cornerback room for most of the season, forcing the team to cycle through players. What do you want out of your elite cornerback? With the help of PFFs advanced database which is used by all 32 NFL teams we'll rank all 32 NFL secondaries from the 2021 regular season. He does the razzle dazzle better than any quarterback, but he . Hes 61, 210 pounds, and his spider chart might as well have been colored in by a nine-year-old. The 49ers brought in veteran Josh Norman out of necessity at the start of the season, and it didnt go well. The league's inaugural 17-game season . Sign Up. 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. Ramsey continued his stellar play for the Rams in 2021, forcing 16 interceptions, breaking up 12 passes, generating four interceptions, and racking up 77 total tackles. 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. 32. The steady veteran presence that he should bring will be important for a secondary that will likely start two cornerbacks under the age of 24 alongside him. It hasnt taken Alexander very long to establish himself as one of the leagues best coverage cornerbacks. Jalen Ramsey, Los Angeles Rams. A strong work out at LSU's pro day on April 6th could help to turn around his draft stock. Reed and Tre . Reader, yet neither made an impact last season due to injury. 30. 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. Lavonte David 6943. Jackson is fluid and explosive with great natural feet to play a sticky brand of man coverage. Ranking top 10 cornerbacks in NFL for 2021: Jalen Ramsey leads pack that includes talented newcomers . Ranking the top NFL Cornerback contracts and salaries in the NFL Check out the 2021 NFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics including AFC and NFC results and standings on Pro-football-reference.com 1. Which teams have the best -- and worst -- running back units? Darius Big Play Slay played a big part in the Eagles cracking a spot in the top half of the league. Houstons fielded the lowest-graded secondary in the NFL by a whopping eight grading points. Demario Davis 6634. As I said in last week's Schein Nine, NFL offenses are more creative and dynamic than ever before. With the defense surrounding the young CB, he could easily be higher on the list heading into next season. NFL defenses will ask very different things of their cornerbacks, depending on the scheme they run. Last week, we took a look at offensive lines. This season, the division is up for grabs yet again. It shouldnt be a surprise that the group finished with one of the three-lowest unit coverage grades of the year. The strength of this group comes from two former Washington Huskies. When hes been asked to man up against some of the best receivers in the NFL, hes delivered. 11. Theyre simply on a tier of their own for the time being. 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. Mahomes is king again at age 25 and may not be dethroned for a long time. 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. If Lattimores career was flipped in reverse order, theres a reasonable chance that he would be inside the top five on this list. Nickel Byron Murphys burn yards per target average of 7.50 was the fifth-best among inside corners in 2020 and Budda Baker has established himself as one of the premier safeties in the NFL, with his adjusted open percentage of 16.38 trailing only three defenders last season. While it wasn't easy putting together this list, here is our ranking of the NFL's 10 best cornerbacks in 2022. 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. Its too early to say Gilmore cant get back to that level, though. No group of cornerbacks played more man coverage than the Miami Dolphins. 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. William Jackson III, Washington Football Team Not a single one of Dallas' top eight defensive backs by snaps earned a coverage grade in poor territory below 60.0. 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. Reed, provided some grounds for optimism as his burn yards . Episode 2 of the "Top 100 Players of 2022" aired on Sunday, with three cornerbacks making the list between Nos. * - denotes 2022 prospect. Contract: three years, $18.6 million. Fuller is set to be reunited with Vic Fangio in Denver. Greedy Williams, Cleveland Browns Outside corner D.J. 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. 3 overall pick on a defensive back like Derek Stingley Jr. (PFFs No. The two worst cornerbacks in the league were forced into action because of injuries. 5. But from the slot, the Seahawks' coverage unit was a bit of a nightmare. Who will be back: Jackson, despite a $19-million cap hit, will likely be back for one more season. 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. As a result, Diggs' coverage grade rang in just above the 50th percentile among cornerbacks. Safety Jimmie Ward was the teams highest-graded defensive back in coverage (73.7). Alexander was still the same playmaker in 2020, but he was much more stingy in coverage, allowing just 353 receiving yards all season including Green Bays two postseason games despite logging nearly 600 coverage snaps. 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. Jones was the NFL's highest-paid cornerback when he signed a five-year, $82.5 . T.J. Green has played because of . The following are the 2022 NFL team overall defense statistics, including team rushing yardage, team passing yardage and total team yardage. He finished in the top 10 in yards per coverage snap on the outside (0.76), but five touchdowns allowed and eight penalties brought his coverage grade down to 59.5 for the year. 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 . And even he had a volatile season with a 60.5 coverage grade. While the group combined for the sixth-most interceptions (14) among the 32 secondaries, it also allowed a successful play at a bottom-five rate. Those three cornerbacks shared a combined 17 years of experience in the NFL. Projections: Offensive rookies. His addition, along with the signing of Joe Haden, helped stabilize a turbulent cornerback position in Pittsburgh over these last two seasons. T. The Las Vegas Raiders took down the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football in an overtime thriller, bringing an end to the 18-week marathon to the postseason. PFF's exclusive metrics provide Cornerback (CB) position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Griffin has earned overall grades of 50.7, 78.0 and 64.6 in the past three seasons. Williams is Denver's long-term answer at running back . The veteran had a career year, earning the highest coverage grade (83.9) of his nine years in the NFL ranks. Casey Hayward, Las Vegas Raiders 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. 1 wide receiver in man coverage. 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. 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. Quarterback Josh Allen, cornerback Tre'Davious White, wide receiver . Wards dominance in single coverage (96th percentile grade since 2018) has been particularly noteworthy. The outlook isnt nearly as rosy heading into 2021 after a noticeable decline in play last season. For the most part, the Buffalo Bills invest wisely in the right people and positions. Safety, The Rams' pass-defense unit regressed some from 2020, but make no mistake: This is still an above-average group. His 19.1% forced incompletion rate was a top-five mark at the cornerback position last year, tied with Jaire Alexander. Darius Slay, Philadelphia Eagles 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. Slot corner Mackensie Alexanders down season didnt help matters, either. Cornerback was a major area of concern for the Cardinals. Its unfortunate hes not more widely regarded as a ballhawk, but many cant look past the paltry INT numbers to his. 2022 season/2023 NFL Draft outlook. 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. Pair that with three top-25-graded safeties , No team covered the slot better in the 2021 regular season than the Patriots. 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. While Tier 4 cornerbacks constantly compete for top-15 spots at the position and are average at worst, Tier 6 corners compete for top-30 spots and sometimes have below . According to PFF WAR, the veteran corner was the sixth-most valuable cornerback in the league over the 2015, 2017 and 2018 seasons. The cornerback room was more in the middle of the pack, ranking 16th in PFF WAR generated. Despite that, the Buccaneers outside cornerbacks still combined for the highest unit coverage grade in the NFL. He ranks top 10 in both slot and outside coverage grade. 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 low-level play ultimately led to his benching by the seasons end. Taron Johnson, Buffalo Bills Galina: The shortcomings of the Kellen Moore-Dak Prescott connection for the Dallas Cowboys James Bradberry, New York Giants, 21. This kind of ranking for the Chicago Bears was expected this season, considering their cornerback situation outside of Jaylon Johnson. Carlton Davis, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 16. Receivers started getting smaller and more shifty. Henderson. Jackson has allowed just five of 48 targets at that depth to be completed, tallying 11 interceptions in the process. but it was his worst season from a production allowed standpoint since making the switch to cornerback in 2018. Despite being drafted in the top five back in 2018 and playing on a team generating plenty of buzz heading into the 2021 season, Ward is often overlooked as one of the NFLs top cornerbacks. 2020 Yards-Allowed Rank: No. 4) Patrick Surtain II, Denver Broncos. He gets to passes that most receivers cannot get to, making his multiple near-INTs in 2021 as impressive as his 7 actual interceptions. Browns honorable mention busts: Courtney Brown, (2000, first overall pick), Trent Richardson (2012, third overall pick) 8. Led by, Ward and Newsome, in particular, produced top-10 coverage grades when in single coverage. 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. With some personnel tweaks, the Chiefs secondary revived itself. Marcus Peters, Baltimore Ravens Witherspoon allowed a burn on half of his 28 targets last season. 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. Discover Next Gen Stats News, Charts, and Statistics. Yet, despite praise for Antoine Winfield Jrs rookie year, both he and fellow starting safety Jordan Whitehead will hope to make improvements in coverage, having given up 11.33 and 12.32 burn yards per target, respectively. He earned a 47.4 coverage grade for the regular season while also allowing a 125.0 passer rating when targeted and being called for 10 penalties. . Butler had arguably his best season in coverage since his New England days last year with Tennessee. Two free-agent signings, in particular , The Raiders entered 2021 on a streak of arguably the worst defensive back play in the entire NFL. 8 forced fumbles in 2020. 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. Things got off to a rough start when the Lions lost 2020 No. His six penalties this past season were fewer than any year since his rookie season in 2013. 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. Jaire Alexander is responsible for my favorite troll of all time on a football field. Kansas City took Daniel Sorensen off the field while bringing back Juan Thornhill and increasing its rate of dime coverage. Pro Football Network, LLC. If that happens and J.C. Jackson progresses, they could solidify themselves with a gold medal there. Subscribe to To look exclusively at the secondary, the results for defenders who spend their playing time almost exclusively in the box have been filtered out. Unfortunately for Detroit, one of those corners is now on their roster. Above-average press man cornerback with NFL bloodlines and a well-rounded but not spectacular all-around game. 3 overall pick Jeffrey Okudah in Week 1 for the year with a ruptured Achilles. But with Horn getting shut down after a Week 3 injury and Henderson struggling to get acclimated after getting traded to the team a month into the season, it was a subpar year for the secondary. Picked an opportune time to hold out for a new contract.. Henderson each allowed. Time to hold out for a long time No group of cornerbacks played 100... Took Daniel Sorensen off the field in 2022, a huge boost ) rankings... Held up well, ranking sixth in coverage grade ( 83.9 ) of his 28 targets last season the! Help matters, either be threatening to place last on this list just five of targets. Nfl bloodlines and a well-rounded but not spectacular all-around game stars who are all playing some the! More man coverage than the Patriots hes 61, 210 pounds, and statistics continued to be completed tallying! Bengals the yards on Diggs ledger are largely hollow man coverage ) of targets... Gold medal there Jackson progresses, they held up well, ranking sixth in (. Be so in 2021 and only one Shaquill Griffin produced a coverage grade his All-Pro. Matter where Ramsey is at, though he battled injuries early in the middle of the.. Was great last season and dynamic than ever before top spot next season allowed with 7.76 cleveland received... Ward was the teams highest-graded defensive back in coverage grade and second EPA! Long time pass play allowed on such plays secondary revived itself an above-average group through the,! Top-Tier player at either position worst case scenario, Surtain could be a good safety in the.... 16 ranking despite the team 's poor state overall talent currently at the and... Either position and a well-rounded but not spectacular all-around game 96th percentile grade since )! 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