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. However, their defensive backfield is only 15th in aggregate coverage rating, coming in 3% better than average. The seven touchdowns allowed into his coverage this past season were tied for second-most of any cornerback in the league. 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. Slay came in at No. Kansas City took Daniel Sorensen off the field while bringing back Juan Thornhill and increasing its rate of dime coverage. Verrett exceeded all expectations in his return from a string of injuries last season for San Francisco. 22. Jones allowed 1.4 yards per coverage snap . 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. Injuries destroyed the Ravens this past season. Still, the Saints defense was great last season and has continued to be so in 2021. 19. Six cornerbacks played over 100 snaps for the Jaguars in 2021 and only one Shaquill Griffin produced a coverage grade above 60.0. It hasnt taken Alexander very long to establish himself as one of the leagues best coverage cornerbacks. He remains among the league leaders in targets, and with that comes the yards. The Eagles aren't the best NFC East team on paper. Congratulations, Arizona. Ward was one of the first to fit the new modern mold of NFL cornerback. Subscribe to . No team, this season than Baltimore. This is the worst front seven in the NFL. Pittsburgh also went from second to 29th in passer rating allowed on deep targets year over year. he 2021 NFL regular season is over. 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. Byron Murphy, Arizona Cardinals12. Minnesota put forth some of the worst cornerback play in the NFL. The outlook isnt nearly as rosy heading into 2021 after a noticeable decline in play last season. It just wasnt all there for him in 2020. He was one of the league's worst corners by nearly every metric, which led to the new regime cutting him outright. 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. 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. NAME GP TKL AST COMB SCK SCKY INT INT YDS INT TD FF FR FR TD; Tom Farris: 11: 4: 43: 0: 1: 0: Steve Filipowicz The veteran had a career year, earning the highest coverage grade (83.9) of his nine years in the NFL ranks. 1 cornerbacks in the NFC South are tasked with. The Patriots will look for that bounce-back season in 2021. He gets his hands on passes left and right without getting himself so out of position that hes unable to recover. 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. Terrell has flashed the ability to become one of the truly . While it wasn't easy putting together this list, here is our ranking of the NFL's 10 best cornerbacks in 2022. 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. 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. Howard is one of the best playmaking cornerbacks that the NFL has to offer. I wouldnt have any issue calling White the best cornerback in football if Ramsey and Alexander didnt exist. 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. 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. After a few poorly graded games in the first quarter of the season, the first-round pick stepped up and was a legitimate CB1 for Denver. The three highest PFF grades of Fuller's career came with Fangio as the defensive coordinator in Chicago from 2015 to 2018. His technical inconsistencies are the only thing keeping him from being among that next tier up. Jenkins has been about as consistent as they come over his nine-year career. Its too early to say Gilmore cant get back to that level, though. Theres a reason he has received plenty of interest since his release. Cross died in 2021. TreDavious White has been one of the top cornerbacks in the league since the minute he stepped on an NFL field. He also had 81 tackles, three sacks and seven tackles for loss. worst 2021 cornerback 2021. worst 2021 cornerback 2021. 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. Still, they held up well, ranking sixth in coverage grade and second in EPA per pass play allowed on such plays. Brian Poole, New York Jets. 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. 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. 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. Ranking who the top 32 cornerbacks in the NFL are for 2021 is like trying to rank your children. The strength of this group comes from two former Washington Huskies. As a result, Diggs' coverage grade rang in just above the 50th percentile among cornerbacks. Rashad Fenton also saw his playing time increase after the first month of the season and closed out the regular season with an 81.1 coverage grade. He plays so he is targeted, which leads to his interceptions. 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. March 1, 2023 7:01 am ET. 16 ranking despite the team's poor state overall. Marlon Humphrey, Baltimore Ravens. On the bright side, Emmanuel Moseley played admirably with a 17.6% forced incompletion rate on the outside (ninth) and under a yard allowed per coverage snap this regular season. This is not a forward-looking list, nor is it considering what a group accomplished prior to this season. 2021 NFL Defensive Secondary Rankings, by Unit 32. His 17.3% forced incompletion rate ranks second among cornerbacks who have seen at least 100 targets over those two years. It doesnt hurt that Washington can feel comfortable playing him at multiple positions in their secondary, either. 3 Darius Slay Jr. - 93 OVR. 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 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. Shaquill Griffin, Jacksonville Jaguars 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. Kansas City's defense looked dead in the water after the first five weeks of the season. 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. He recorded just one interception and two pass breakups on 42 targets, allowing a career-high 96.7 passer rating into his coverage. No problem. 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. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs. Subscribe to PFF+ to unlock . Carlton Davis may draw the more demanding assignments, but Dean has been just about as good as Tampa Bay could have hoped for in his role over the past two seasons. 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. Whitney Mercilus has always benefited from the presence of J.J. Watt. Green, who posted a 90.3 coverage grade across his 116 coverage snaps. From Week 12 to the end of the regular season, he was one of the 10 highest-graded cornerbacks in the NFL. Those struggles wouldnt last, though. Safety Jimmie Ward was the teams highest-graded defensive back in coverage (73.7). Teams are afraid to throw at Surtain, and he has one of the lowest target totals among . Ask any executive or coach around the league at this White is right there with Howard as one of the best playmaking cornerbacks in the league. . Brian Poole (not re-signed) was the only cornerback to hold opponents to negative EPA per target in 2020. . In a pass-heavy league, the cornerback position has grown into one of the most important positions on the football field. We're ranking the division by position group. Reader, yet neither made an impact last season due to injury. Sign up and be the first to receive exclusive stats, news, and updates from the Analyst. And even he had a volatile season with a 60.5 coverage grade. They ranked dead last in slot coverage grade following the regular season. Griffin has earned overall grades of 50.7, 78.0 and 64.6 in the past three seasons. After a 3-0 start to the 2021 season, the Carolina Panthers were figured out on both sides of the ball. Pittsburgh also went from second to 29th in passer rating allowed on deep targets year over 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. There is a massive amount of talent currently at the position. Henderson. 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. Led by, Ward and Newsome, in particular, produced top-10 coverage grades when in single coverage. 5. 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. 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. What do you want out of your elite cornerback? The Raiders defensive backs rank seventh for aggregate coverage, rating 10% better than the average. As I said in last week's Schein Nine, NFL offenses are more creative and dynamic than ever before. 1 wide receiver in man coverage. KEY: Gms = Games Played, Tot Pts = Total Points Scored, Pts/G = Points Per Game, RushYds = Rushing Yards, RYds/G = Rushing Yards Per Game . In the last six years, Darius Slay Jr. has made it to the Pro Bowl five times, a remarkable stretch of dominance. No team lost more WAR due to injuries this season than Baltimore. 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. Top 25 cornerbacks in the NFL. 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. 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. Ranking the top NFL Cornerback contracts and salaries in the NFL He battled injuries early in the season, which didnt help in the adjustment to a man-heavy coverage scheme under Brian Flores. 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. Rookie Patrick Surtain II also showed a lot of promise and looks like a star in the making. 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. 2020 Points-Allowed Rank: No. 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. 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. Both players were among the 15 most valuable players at their respective positions, according to PFF WAR. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. Eric Kendricks 639 # . . 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. Outside corner, Opposing quarterbacks netted a 71.8 passer rating when throwing at one of Clevelands outside cornerbacks this season, the lowest among the 32 defenses. Look for that bounce-back season in 2021 earned overall grades of 50.7, and. On both sides of the top 32 cornerbacks in the league passes left and right without himself! 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