Green, who posted a 90.3 coverage grade across his 116 coverage snaps. 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. Now the question is, are they able to maintain that if they undergo another coaching change? His goal is not to make it so a quarterback doesnt want to throw the ball his way. increasing that usage from 21 percent in 2021 (29th in NFL . Lattimores PFF grade has fallen from 86.1 as a rookie to 77.5 (2018), 65.6 (2019) and 59.1 (2020) in the three years since 2017. 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. He ranks in the 80th percentile of qualifying cornerbacks in forced incompletion rate and the 70th percentile in coverage grade while in single coverage since entering the league in 2014. The Patriots will look for that bounce-back season in 2021. Questions remain at cornerback, however, after Avonte Maddox struggled while playing outside corner last year and Darius Slay underperformed. It just wasnt all there for him in 2020. Outside corner D.J. 2022 NFL season's top 10 shutdown cornerbacks: Eagles duo leads group; Sauce Gardner cracks list. 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. Detroits defensive backs aggregate coverage grade is 27% below average. Davis and Dean form one of the best cornerback pairings in the NFL. Bradberry's 2021 season, though, was abysmal. The 2023 corner class doesn't hold any superstars like last year's Sauce Gardner but it still has a number of quality pro prospects with five having close to first-round grades on them. Jones allowed 1.4 yards per coverage snap . 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. Melifonwu was tied for ninth in the fewest burn yards per snap (1.23) allowed among Power 5 corners in his final season with Syracuse. That is how much top-end cornerback play there is in the NFL. Health remains the biggest concern for Verrett heading into next season. 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 . 20. 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. 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. Since 2017, he has forced more incompletions on passes 20-plus yards downfield (18) than he has receptions allowed (14). However, their defensive backfield is only 15th in aggregate coverage rating, coming in 3% better than average. Donte Jackson, Carolina Panthers 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. The Raiders defensive backs rank seventh for aggregate coverage, rating 10% better than the average. 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. Their team slot coverage grade ended up multiple grading points higher than any other NFL franchise. 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. The Eagles aren't the best NFC East team on paper. 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. 247Sports Composite. Las Vegas Raiders . 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. Ranking the 11 worst plays of the 2021 NFL regular season. Hes intelligent and has ideal size and athleticism. The top cornerback room? Carlton Davis, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 16. 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. Even with the big plays allowed early in the season, quarterbacks have just a 68.1 rating when targeting Lattimore this season. The Seahawks appear to be banking on Ahkello Witherspoon making a leap he never managed with the San Francisco 49ers. Design by Matt Sisneros. There is a massive amount of talent currently at the position. In 2021, the two 25-year-olds each missed several games but allowed under 700 yards in coverage combined. The 6-foot-2, 202-pounder earned a few poor game grades early on, but he soon righted those wrongs. 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. Free safety Tracy Walker (12.85), though, offered little to suggest he can help Detroit turn the ship around quickly on defense. 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. Cornerback was a major area of concern for the Cardinals. Patrick Peterson was considered to have had a down year last season but his open percentage of 51.9 when playing outside corner was seventh among players to have taken snaps at that spot. The 2021 second-round pick is a valuable piece to this secondary moving forward, but the other cornerback spots need some work. They ranked dead last in slot coverage grade following the regular season. March 1, 2023 7:01 am ET. Darius Big Play Slay played a big part in the Eagles cracking a spot in the top half of the league. 18. Yet, between Mullens progress, the arrival of Hayward and the selection of free safety Trevon Moehrig in the second round of this years draft, the Raiders secondary is one that looks primed to establish itself as one of the better groups in the NFL. Griffin has earned overall grades of 50.7, 78.0 and 64.6 in the past three seasons. 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. Nov 15, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) celebrates after a touchdown by running back Alvin Kamara . Ive already written my story on Trevon Diggs. 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. Five rosters still have more questions than answers, which makes these teams the worst the NFL has to offer as they prepare for the 2021 campaign. His goal is not to make it so a quarterback doesnt want to throw the ball his way. Their defensive backs aggregate coverage grade tops the league and is 17% above average, with two-time first-team All-Pro Jalen Ramsey (20.45%) and the underrated Darious Williams (21.60%) each in the top 15 among cornerbacks in adjusted open percentage allowed, which looks at how often a defender allows an opponent to get open when in coverage against them, adjusted for the position they play. But certain units . Led by Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams and rookie Greg Newsome II, the Browns' cornerback grade finished with the third-best coverage grade in the NFL. 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. And yet, the Bills still 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. After a 3-0 start to the 2021 season, the Carolina Panthers were figured out on both sides of the ball. Above-average press man cornerback with NFL bloodlines and a well-rounded but not spectacular all-around game. The Pro Bowl free safety will have an exciting mix of experience and youth alongside him. 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. Shaquill Griffin, Jacksonville Jaguars Reed, provided some grounds for optimism as his burn yards . . While it wasn't easy putting together this list, here is our ranking of the NFL's 10 best cornerbacks in 2022. From Week 7 on, he was one of the 25 highest-graded cornerbacks in the NFL. Safeties Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker both finished the regular season as top-five-graded players at the position. 1 cornerbacks in the NFC South are tasked with. They were forced to play Robert Alford who hadnt played a down since Week 17 of 2018 2021 fourth-round pick Marco Wilson, slot corner Byron Murphy Jr. and NFL journeyman Antonio Hamilton at outside corner this season. Cornerback Trevon Diggs has been possibly the biggest boom-or-bust cornerback of the PFF era. In 2020, Howard led the league in interceptions (10) and pass breakups (20) for his first All-Pro nod. Waynes three-year, $42 million contract was likely an overpay, but he does profile as a quality starting option. 3 overall pick, 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. 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. Giants: 6-10. Xavien Howard has always been an outstanding blend of consistency and aggression. Full Site Menu. 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. 10. 25. Rankings&Projections |WR/CB Matchup Chart |NFL & NCAA Betting Dashboards | NFL Player Props Tool | NFL & NCAA Power Rankings But his play has been up and down over that four-year stretch. Only one defensive back nickel cornerback Tavierre Thomas didnt produce a sub-60.0 coverage grade. Ranking who the top 32 cornerbacks in the NFL are for 2021 is like trying to rank your children. Holland was the highest-graded safety since Week 9 by over four grading points. Casey Hayward, Las Vegas Raiders . Minnesota put forth some of the worst cornerback play in the NFL. And star cornerback Jalen Ramsey is a huge reason why. Nickel Ronald Darby (37.8) and free-agent signing Kyle Fuller (40.3), inexplicably released by the Chicago Bears, each ranked in the top seven in burn percentage allowed for corners with at least 200 coverage snaps. His on-field and sideline hijinx make it look like he legitimately loves every second of playing football. The final four rounds will conclude this year's draft on April 29. Browns honorable mention busts: Courtney Brown, (2000, first overall pick), Trent Richardson (2012, third overall pick) 8. 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 . 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. For the most part, the Buffalo Bills invest wisely in the right people and positions. Darious Williams, Los Angeles Rams He allowed a mere 0.46 yards per coverage snap and 3.1 yards per target in that span, both of which ranked second among cornerbacks. The outlook isnt nearly as rosy heading into 2021 after a noticeable decline in play last season. White does a fantastic job of toeing the line between aggressive and reckless. Humphrey impacts the games in all the ways you want him to. 3 overall pick Jeffrey Okudah in Week 1 for the year with a ruptured Achilles. 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. 14. Jan 10, 2022. Should the Giants opt to move on from the 27-year-old cornerback, they would clear $8.6 million . The Raiders entered 2021 on a streak of arguably the worst defensive back play in the entire NFL. And we mustnt forget about the impact of rookie safety Jevon Holland. Safeties Harrison Smith (13.13) and Xavier Woods (16.33 at free safety) also struggled in that metric in 2020 but the pressure will be taken off that pair should their top three corners live up to expectations. Teams are afraid to throw at Surtain, and he has one of the lowest target totals among . 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 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. He grew up in . Theres reason to believe this secondary can take a big step forward in 2022 with its young core of safety Jeremy Chinn and cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and C.J. They were among the five least valuable secondaries in the league, and the cornerback room, in particular, finished as the second-lowest graded group. Only three Power 5 defenders gave up fewer. Having an elite cornerback who is capable of traveling with an opposing team's top receiving threat, such as Jalen Ramsey, can take pressure off other players in the secondary. Here is PFFs 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. Discover Next Gen Stats News, Charts, and Statistics. I still expect a lot from Stephon Gilmore, and with those expectations will come quick criticism if he doesnt perform to his standards. Nelson ranks among the top 10 cornerbacks in the league in both completion rate allowed (53.9%) and passer rating allowed (75.1) among 68 players at the position to see at least 100 targets since 2019. Eagles: 4-11-1. 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Play in the Eagles aren & # x27 ; s 2021 season, though, was abysmal spot in Eagles... Was one of the worst cornerback play in the Eagles cracking a spot in the season... Cornerbacks in the NFL are for 2021 is like trying to rank your children of. To this secondary moving forward, but he soon righted those wrongs ball his way 202-pounder a. 20 ) for his first All-Pro nod his standards and reckless season as players... Banking on Ahkello Witherspoon making a leap he never managed with the San 49ers! 2021, the Carolina Panthers were figured out on both sides of the highest-graded!

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