Hes a wide receiver baiting quarterbacks into throwing passes that he can jump. Witherspoon allowed a burn on half of his 28 targets last season. So, which secondaries were a boon and which were a hindrance this season? Who looks to be a top-10 cornerback in the NFL right now? 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. Those struggles wouldnt last, though. 2022 season/2023 NFL Draft outlook. A ranking of the 2021 Best NFL Cornerback Players. 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. The Vikings invested heavily in the secondary in recent years and the numbers suggest that decision could pay dividends in the coming season. He gets to passes that most receivers cannot get to, making his multiple near-INTs in 2021 as impressive as his 7 actual interceptions. The top cornerback room? 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. Xavien Howard has always been an outstanding blend of consistency and aggression. And there are a couple of surprise names feature among those secondaries who look ready to take a leap in 2021. Marshon Lattimore struggled a bit relative to expectations in 2020, but hes back with a vengeance in 2021. 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. Quarterback Josh Allen, cornerback Tre'Davious White, wide receiver . 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. 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. 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. Dolphins cornerback Byron Jones has not played since the 2021 season. Rookie Eric Stokes stepped up and grew into his role as the season wore on. Terrell. With that being said, here are four bold predictions for the New Orleans Saints in the 2023 NFL offseason. I still expect a lot from Stephon Gilmore, and with those expectations will come quick criticism if he doesnt perform to his standards. 10. The cornerback room was more in the middle of the pack, ranking 16th in PFF WAR generated. T.J. Green has played because of . His goal is not to make it so a quarterback doesnt want to throw the ball his way. 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. 1. 14. Greedy Williams, Cleveland Browns With that said, here are my cornerback rankings for the 2022 NFL draft: 1. 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. 28. The Bengals spent over $12.7 million on their cornerbacks against the cap in 2022, which was 6.02% of their total . The real stars of this group are Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, who rank second and third, respectively, in coverage grade among safeties. Episode 2 of the "Top 100 Players of 2022" aired on Sunday, with three cornerbacks making the list between Nos. Mar 1, 2021 at 11:51 am ET 34 min read NFL Draft season is in full swing, so a Top 50 Big Board is in order. Still, the Saints defense was great last season and has continued to be so in 2021. 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. White does a fantastic job of toeing the line between aggressive and reckless. They were forced to play, Theres reason to believe this secondary can take a big step forward in 2022 with its young core of safety, This kind of ranking for the Chicago Bears was expected this season, considering their cornerback situation outside of, Minnesota put forth some of the worst cornerback play in the NFL. Ramsey produced the highest coverage grade and most PFF WAR among all cornerbacks in the regular season. 32. The top 2021 Cornerback prospects available for the 2021 NFL Draft. Terrell has flashed the ability to become one of the truly . In a pass-heavy league, the cornerback position has grown into one of the most important positions on the football field. If that remains the case, Buffalos secondary should stay among the best in the league even with only marginal improvements made by his teammates. He has been one of the best run defenders (88.5 run-defense grade in five seasons with the Vikings) at the position since entering the league in 2015. 32. But Las Vegas can afford to have confidence in the secondary going into 2021. His 84.6 PFF grade finished as the third-best at the position. 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 yards on Diggs ledger are largely hollow. The only member of the Detroit Lions on our initial 2022 NFL top 100 players list, Frank Ragnow missed a majority of the 2021 season with a turf toe. Check out the 2021 NFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics including AFC and NFC results and standings on Pro-football-reference.com The Cardinals are under pressure to produce a playoff campaign in the third year of Kliff Kingsbury as head coach and Kyler Murray as quarterback and a look at their depth chart in the secondary indicates the offense may have to carry this team to a first postseason appearance since the 2015 campaign. 2020 Points-Allowed Rank: No. Hill had his best seasons in LA . 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. Pro Football Focus graded rookie Sauce Gardner as the best corner in the NFL. 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. Reader, yet neither made an impact last season due to injury. Jackson was one of the five highest-graded outside cornerbacks in the NFL and allowed the second-fewest yards per coverage snap at the position. As the teams big free-agent acquisition at the position, Griffin does bring plenty of experience for a younger player. 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. But two underrated additions could see them catapult into the top five. He was 10th in the NFL at his position in adjusted open percentage (21.58). 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. After a broken-up pass against Wake Forest in 2016, he pranced behind the unsuspecting receiver in a manner Ive never witnessed. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS. Their team slot coverage grade ended up multiple grading points higher than any other NFL franchise. Jones allowed 1.4 yards per coverage snap with Miami in 2020 double his 0.7 yards per coverage snap average across the 2018 and 2019 seasons in Dallas. 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. 23. See trending; Company. Bryce Hall, New York Jets, XFL Fantasy Football Rankings Week 2: Josh Gordon, Jeff Badet, Max Borghi, and More, Final Fantasy PPR Rankings for the NFL Playoffs: Tony Pollard, Ezekiel Elliott, James Cook, and More, NFL All-Time RB Records: Season and Career Leaders, College football Week 6 live reactions, results, and takeaways. He recorded just one interception and two pass breakups on 42 targets, allowing a career-high 96.7 passer rating into his coverage. More progress from that duo could lessen the impact of Johnsons exit but, following highly rated defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasants switch to Detroit, maintaining their status as the gold standard is far from a given for Ramsey and Co. in 2021. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. 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. If you take away a disastrous 2019 season with the Philadelphia Eagles in which he earned just a 44.8 overall grade, Darby has graded above 68.0 overall since being drafted in 2015. Eric Kendricks 639 # . 4 . 15. If he can do this for 17 games, even if the interceptions evade him, itll be tough to argue theres a better cornerback in the league. 3 Darius Slay Jr. - 93 OVR. 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. 1 wide receiver in man coverage. Blake Martinez 6575. However, their defensive backfield is only 15th in aggregate coverage rating, coming in 3% better than average. All 259 picks have been made and the 2021 NFL Draft is officially in the books for all 32 franchises. 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. But certain units . Pair that with three top-25-graded safeties Antoine Winfield Jr. (second), Jordan Whitehead (18th) and Mike Edwards (22nd) and you have yourself one of the best secondaries in the NFL ready to help the franchise compete for another Super Bowl. 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 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. 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. Lavonte David 6943. Hes 61, 210 pounds, and his spider chart might as well have been colored in by a nine-year-old. Copyright 2019-2023. 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. Its impossible to discuss what Peters brings to the table and not start with his knack for getting his hands on the football, as his 31 interceptions since entering the league in 2015 are nine more than any other cornerback. 3 overall pick Jeffrey Okudah in Week 1 for the year with a ruptured Achilles. 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. His addition, along with the signing of Joe Haden, helped stabilize a turbulent cornerback position in Pittsburgh over these last two seasons. The hope for Miami will be that he gets back toward the player who earned a five-year, $82.5 million contract last offseason. Ward was one of the first to fit the new modern mold of NFL cornerback. In the worst case scenario, Surtain could be a good safety in the NFL, but he looks like a safe pick . His 45.3 coverage grade was the fourth-lowest among qualifying cornerbacks. Hes intelligent and has ideal size and athleticism. In 2020, Howard led the league in interceptions (10) and pass breakups (20) for his first All-Pro nod. His on-field and sideline hijinx make it look like he legitimately loves every second of playing football. 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. 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. 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. As a result, Diggs' coverage grade rang in just above the 50th percentile among cornerbacks. The results are very favorable for one NFC West team, though two franchises from that division are at the wrong end of the rankings. Humphrey impacts the games in all the ways you want him to. No team, this season than Baltimore. By continuing and using the site, including by remaining on the landing . Two free-agent signings, in particular Chidobe Awuzie and Mike Hilton have helped them get there. Defensive rookies. He wasnt alone out there, either safety Marcus Williams also helped anchor the group with an 84.3 coverage grade that ranked seventh at the position. His 71.5 overall grade in 2020 was his highest single-season mark since back in 2017 with the Broncos. 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. The position as a whole combined for the third-fewest WAR among the 32 groups. It doesnt matter where Ramsey is at, though hes been a top-tier player at either position. 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. Theyre simply on a tier of their own for the time being. Who will be back: Jackson, despite a $19-million cap hit, will likely be back for one more season. Humphrey impacts the games in all the ways you want him to. Ranking the top NFL Cornerback contracts and salaries in the NFL 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. Despite that, the Buccaneers outside cornerbacks still combined for the highest unit coverage grade in the NFL. After a broken-up pass against Wake Forest in 2016, he, . Fuller was back in Washington for the 2020 season following a two-year stint in Kansas City. While Surtain will go early in the 2021 NFL Draft, he is not as good of a prospect as Jalen Ramsey or C.J. 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. I simply wont acknowledge any Jalen Ramsey disrespect in this dojo. Howards 2020 performance put that playmaking ability on full display, with double-digit pass breakups and interceptions to go along with an 89.6 coverage grade. 6 on the list, as his 86.2 coverage . The Raiders entered 2021 on a streak of arguably the worst defensive back play in the entire NFL. Cornerback Trevon Diggs has been possibly the biggest boom-or-bust cornerback of the PFF era. With more than 20 pending free agents, the front office will have a lot of work to do. His 3.2% missed tackle rate was the second-lowest among safeties. 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