Only three inside corners gave up fewer burn yards per snap than Ugo Amadi (1.14) in 2020 while safety Jamal Adams was not the coverage liability many made him out to be; the Seahawks sack leader last season gave up a big play on 10 of his 41 targets. 29. They each produced coverage grades above 70.0 for the season. Top 25 cornerbacks in the NFL. Denzel Ward, in my opinion, is another year away from being a potential top-five cornerback in the NFL. Cornerback Trevon Diggs has been possibly the biggest boom-or-bust cornerback of the PFF era. CORNERBACK PROSPECT RANKING 2023 NFL DRAFT. There is a massive amount of talent currently at the position. 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. Personally, I want a guy who travels up and down the field on an assignment basis against the opposing teams best receivers. Even with the big plays allowed early in the season, quarterbacks have just a 68.1 rating when targeting Lattimore this season. According to PFF WAR, the veteran corner was the sixth-most valuable cornerback in the league over the 2015, 2017 and 2018 seasons. Data modeling by Kyle Cunningham-Rhoads. Taron Johnson, Buffalo Bills 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. The 6-foot-2, 202-pounder earned a few poor game grades early on, but he soon righted those wrongs. Jan 10, 2022. 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. 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. Marshon Lattimore was the highlight of a Saints secondary that ranked seventh in coverage grade and allowed an open target at the third-lowest rate in the league. 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. His addition, along with the signing of Joe Haden, helped stabilize a turbulent cornerback position in Pittsburgh over these last two seasons. But it's easy to know who the favorite is. His 45.3 coverage grade was the fourth-lowest among qualifying cornerbacks. Nelson was another surprise release by a team strapped for salary cap space. (Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports) Listen . 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. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. We started to see signs of the Louisville product's playmaking ability in 2019, as his 16 forced incompletions ranked second at the position. Six cornerbacks played over 100 snaps for the Jaguars in 2021 and only one Shaquill Griffin produced a coverage grade above 60.0. Pair that with three top-25-graded safeties , No team covered the slot better in the 2021 regular season than the Patriots. NFC West teams gained even more firepower at the quarterback position in a dramatic offseason, magnifying the issues for a Seattle secondary that is a long way from the Legion of Boom. What do you want out of your elite cornerback? 3 Darius Slay Jr. - 93 OVR. With more than 20 pending free agents, the front office will have a lot of work to do. 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. Yet, there were signs this group is primed to make further progress in 2021, most of which came from starting corner Jamel Dean. Above-average press man cornerback with NFL bloodlines and a well-rounded but not spectacular all-around game. Last week, we took a look at offensive lines. 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. Carolina ranked 24th in outside coverage grade and allowed the fourth-worst passer rating to the outside (107.8). Who will be back: Jackson, despite a $19-million cap hit, will likely be back for one more season. 90-81. 12. So this is one of the worst cornerback trios in the NFL, not just the NFC West. Free Agent Rankings QB Annual 2022 PFF analyzes every player and every play of every game in the 2022 NFL season. 2022 NFL Cornerback Rankings. His technical inconsistencies are the only thing keeping him from being among that next tier up. Overall, New York allowed more EPA per pass than any other defense in the regular season. Kendall Fuller, Washington Football Team 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. Only three Power 5 defenders gave up fewer. The 2014 first-round pick looked like an ascending star with a 90.9 coverage grade in his second year in the NFL, but he managed to take the field for just over 300 total snaps the following four seasons combined. T.J. Green has played because of . Which team has the most wins as road dogs since 2015? 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. Return to Top; Players. . Humphrey impacts the games in all the ways you want him to. This kind of ranking for the Chicago Bears was expected this season, considering their cornerback situation outside of Jaylon Johnson. And Peters ranks tied for fifth at the position in pass breakups (52) over that same time frame. Defensive rookies. 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. 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. I simply wont acknowledge any Jalen Ramsey disrespect in this dojo. Who led the NFL in receiving in 2021? His six penalties this past season were fewer than any year since his rookie season in 2013. But two underrated additions could see them catapult into the top five. 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. Marlon Humphrey, Baltimore Ravens. 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. 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 . 1. In 2020, Howard led the league in interceptions (10) and pass breakups (20) for his first All-Pro nod. Arnettes average of 11.69 suggests he has further to go, and he may face competition with Hayward for the starting role across from Mullen. Teams are afraid to throw at Surtain, and he has one of the lowest target totals among . Las Vegas will hope Hayward can accelerate the development of Mullen, who was an encouraging 15th in burn yards per target (8.67) among outside corners with at least 200 snaps. Casey Hayward, Las Vegas Raiders 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. Pro Football Focus graded rookie Sauce Gardner as the best corner in the NFL. Sign up and be the first to receive exclusive stats, news, and updates from the Analyst. 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. Detroits defensive backs aggregate coverage grade is 27% below average. Tampas secondary arguably already took a step forward as the Buccaneers claimed their second Super Bowl title last season. He isnt at the top of the CB rankings yet simply because this is all so new. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Cowboys: 6-10. 16 ranking despite the team's poor state overall. His on-field and sideline hijinx make it look like he legitimately loves every second of playing football. 24. Only one defensive back nickel cornerback Tavierre Thomas didnt produce a sub-60.0 coverage grade. TreDavious White has been one of the top cornerbacks in the league since the minute he stepped on an NFL field. Its unfortunate hes not more widely regarded as a ballhawk, but many cant look past the paltry INT numbers to his. 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. They ranked dead last in slot coverage grade following the regular season. 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. 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. 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. Marcus Peters, Baltimore Ravens Another of those factors was health, as Darby played over 600 defensive snaps in 2020 for the first time in four seasons. TreDavious Whites continuing success is a reason for that, as the two-time Pro Bowler first among all cornerbacks in adjusted open percentage allowed (16.20%) in 2020. 15. If that happens and J.C. Jackson progresses, they could solidify themselves with a gold medal there. Still seems like we're waiting for the first domino to fall with the Bears . Tre Flowers' open percentage of 85.7 was the fifth-worst of all corners in the NFL, though the play of another former Niner, D.J. Hes a unicorn playing cornerback in a world of 511, 190-pound movers, and we dont acknowledge that enough. Health remains the biggest concern for Verrett heading into next season. name season tm gp tkl ast comb sck scky int int yds int td ff fr fr td; jahleel addae: 2021 Jaire Alexander is responsible for my favorite troll of all time on a football field. Griffin has earned overall grades of 50.7, 78.0 and 64.6 in the past three seasons. They will be looking for a step forward from last years third-round pick Cameron Dantzler, who was above average in burn yards per target (9.4) and open percentage allowed (62.3) as a rookie. His value is easy to see. Heck, he played more snaps in the slot in 2020 than he did on the outside. That's when deals are officially negotiated and reported signings fly across . Christian D'Andrea. 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. Full Site Menu. 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. 11. The 247Sports Composite is a proprietary algorithm that compiles rankings and ratings listed in the public domain by the major media recruiting services, creating the industry's most comprehensive and unbiased prospect and team rankings. If it werent for A.J. 27. Ward and Newsome, in particular, produced top-10 coverage grades when in single coverage. Darious Williams, Los Angeles Rams 2021 stats: 11 games (11 starts), 1 INT, 6 PBUs, 1 FF, 1 FR, 0.5 sacks, 41 combined tackles (27 solo). 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. Hes a wide receiver baiting quarterbacks into throwing passes that he can jump. 1. Bryce Callahan, Denver Broncos 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. he 2021 NFL regular season is over. Pro Football Network strives to passionately deliver purposeful, captivating, and exceptional football content. The Pro Bowl free safety will have an exciting mix of experience and youth alongside him. 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. Sign Up. With the help of. Terrell. The position as a whole combined for the third-fewest WAR among the 32 groups. Bradberry was the fourth-most valuable cornerback in the league in 2020 per PFF WAR, with career-best coverage numbers across the board. ** - denotes 2023 prospect. Slay came in at No. 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 49ers brought in veteran Josh Norman out of necessity at the start of the season, and it didnt go well. 32. Meanwhile, Bashaud Breeland, another free agency signing, was tied fifth in open percentage (52.7) among corners to have played at least 200 coverage snaps. PFF's exclusive metrics provide Cornerback (CB) position rankings, grades, and snap counts. He ended up allowing 0.37 yards per coverage snap the third-lowest figure in the PFF era behind only Asante Samuel in 2019 and Nnamdi Asomugha in 2008 (0.36 each). Hes intelligent and has ideal size and athleticism. * - denotes 2022 prospect. Cleveland also received some sneaky high-quality play from 2020 undrafted free agent A.J. He grew up in . His lone interception was a career-worst -- as was his tally of 50 combined tackles and 66.2 completion percentage allowed -- but with a full training camp to come (after having been absent a traditional one in 2020 due to the COVID-19 . Episode 2 of the "Top 100 Players of 2022" aired on Sunday, with three cornerbacks making the list between Nos. I still expect a lot from Stephon Gilmore, and with those expectations will come quick criticism if he doesnt perform to his standards. The league's inaugural 17-game season . Pittsburgh also went from second to 29th in passer rating allowed on deep targets year over 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. The secondary is the last unit remaining. Detroits secondary has been problematic over the past few years, and it didnt get any better in Year 1 under Dan Campbell. The Tuscaloosa News via AP) Height: 6'2" (95th percentile) Weight: 208 (94th) 40-Yard Dash: 4.42 seconds (85th) Bench Press: 18 reps (33rd) Vertical Jump: 39 inches (84th) Broad Jump: 131 inches (91st) 3-Cone Drill: N/A 20-Yard Shuttle: N/A Bio: In what will be a theme for this list of players . 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. From Week 7 on, he was one of the 25 highest-graded cornerbacks in the NFL. 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). Jalen Ramsey, Los Angeles Rams. Only one defensive back nickel cornerback, Galina: The shortcomings of the Kellen Moore-Dak Prescott connection for the Dallas Cowboys. Their team slot coverage grade ended up multiple grading points higher than any other NFL franchise. 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. His 3.2% missed tackle rate was the second-lowest among safeties. 1 cornerback who will allow them to play more man coverage if they desire. At his advancing age, two underwhelming seasons in a row would be a strong signal to sell him in these cornerback rankings moving forward. 32. via Seth Galina. 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. 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. 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. From Week 12 to the end of the regular season, he was one of the 10 highest-graded cornerbacks in the NFL. For the most part, the Buffalo Bills invest wisely in the right people and positions. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. In truth, he could be there already. No, he was targeted often because of who was on the opposite side, and his ball skills shined in the process, recording 10 INTs in 2020. And we mustnt forget about the impact of rookie safety Jevon Holland. He graded at 75.0 or higher in every season that he saw more than 100 snaps from 2012 through 2019, and he did it all while posting the highest forced incompletion rate in the NFL. 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. 32. Figures indicate statistics each team allowed to their opponents. A strong work out at LSU's pro day on April 6th could help to turn around his draft stock. 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. Eagles: 4-11-1. 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