The slot was also a considerable issue all year long, as Chicago produced the sixth-worst coverage grade at the position this season. 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. Davis and Dean form one of the best cornerback pairings in the NFL. The real stars of this group are Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, who rank second and third, respectively, in coverage grade among safeties. MORE: The 10 most intriguing prospects in the 2023 NFL draft class. . Jalen Ramsey, Los Angeles Rams Cross, who was 81 when he died Feb. 28, 2021, suffered from stage 4 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Boston University researchers said Tuesday. T. Washington: 7-9. Kansas City took Daniel Sorensen off the field while bringing back Juan Thornhill and increasing its rate of dime coverage. Only one defensive back nickel cornerback Tavierre Thomas didnt produce a sub-60.0 coverage grade. His 3.2% missed tackle rate was the second-lowest among safeties. 1. 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. PFF's exclusive metrics provide Cornerback (CB) position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Jaire Alexander is responsible for my favorite troll of all time on a football field. Cornerback Trevon Diggs has been possibly the biggest boom-or-bust cornerback of the PFF era. Darius Big Play Slay played a big part in the Eagles cracking a spot in the top half of the league. But his play has been up and down over that four-year stretch. Cornerback was a major area of concern for the Cardinals. That's when deals are officially negotiated and reported signings fly across . Galina: The shortcomings of the Kellen Moore-Dak Prescott connection for the Dallas Cowboys Check out the 2021 NFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics including AFC and NFC results and standings on Pro-football-reference.com Davis has put up a solid grading profile and coverage stats across the past two seasons in Tampa Bay despite that tough slate of opposing wide receivers. Nov 15, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) celebrates after a touchdown by running back Alvin Kamara . 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. The ability to limit production like Ramsey did against top-flight talent is invaluable for the Los Angeles Rams defense. NFL defenses will ask very different things of their cornerbacks, depending on the scheme they run. Still, they held up well, ranking sixth in coverage grade and second in EPA per pass play allowed on such plays. 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 . His 19.1% forced incompletion rate was a top-five mark at the cornerback position last year, tied with Jaire Alexander. Despite that, the Buccaneers outside cornerbacks still combined for the highest unit coverage grade in the NFL. 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. White is right there with Howard as one of the best playmaking cornerbacks in the league. So, which secondaries were a boon and which were a hindrance this season? 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. If that happens and J.C. Jackson progresses, they could solidify themselves with a gold medal there. The NFL in 2014 settled a class action lawsuit with retired . This season, the division is up for grabs yet again. Design by Matt Sisneros. They ranked dead last in slot coverage grade following the regular season. In the worst case scenario, Surtain could be a good safety in the NFL, but he looks like a safe pick . He recorded just one interception and two pass breakups on 42 targets, allowing a career-high 96.7 passer rating into his coverage. Consequently, defenses are more stressed than ever before. 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. Jackson is fluid and explosive with great natural feet to play a sticky brand of man coverage. He should once again be put in a position to succeed under Fangio next season. 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. They each produced coverage grades above 70.0 for the season. His on-field and sideline hijinx make it look like he legitimately loves every second of playing football. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. 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. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Terrell was actually the second-highest graded cornerback in coverage in the 2021 regular season, behind only Jalen Ramsey. Still, hes a gifted tactician at the position and will get back on his feet this season. Cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon . Those struggles wouldnt last, though. 2021 stats: 11 games (11 starts), 1 INT, 6 PBUs, 1 FF, 1 FR, 0.5 sacks, 41 combined tackles (27 solo). His 17.3% forced incompletion rate ranks second among cornerbacks who have seen at least 100 targets over those two years. 18. Their team slot coverage grade ended up multiple grading points higher than any other NFL franchise. 4 . 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. 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. Pittsburgh also went from second to 29th in passer rating allowed on deep targets year over year. Figures indicate statistics each team allowed to their opponents. Safety Jayron Kearse was the highest-graded defensive back on the roster, due in large part to his strong tackling. 2022 NFL Cornerback Rankings. Hill had his best seasons in LA . No team lost more WAR due to injuries this season than Baltimore. Hes a wide receiver baiting quarterbacks into throwing passes that he can jump. He battled injuries early in the season, which didnt help in the adjustment to a man-heavy coverage scheme under Brian Flores. The amount of top-level play from NFL cornerbacks is astonishing. Okudah allowed the offense to gain +1.0 EPA on 43.2 percent of his targets in coverage, the worst rate in the league . Sign Up. He was one of the league's worst corners by nearly every metric, which led to the new regime cutting him outright. As the passing game has furthered its position as the dominant and most critical aspect of NFL attacks, the need for a secondary with the talent to regularly withstand aerial assaults led by a deep crop of quarterbacks has become an increasingly pressing one. Subscribe to . Seattle Seahawks: Ahkello Witherspoon, D.J. The most impressive part is that it all comes in a man-heavy Baltimore defense few cornerbacks in the league possess that kind of ability. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Those three cornerbacks shared a combined 17 years of experience in the NFL. In the last six years, Darius Slay Jr. has made it to the Pro Bowl five times, a remarkable stretch of dominance. From Week 12 to the end of the regular season, he was one of the 10 highest-graded cornerbacks in the NFL. Williams is Denver's long-term answer at running back . There is a massive amount of talent currently at the position. Fuller is set to be reunited with Vic Fangio in Denver. 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. 30. As a result, Diggs' coverage grade rang in just above the 50th percentile among cornerbacks. James Bradberry, New York Giants, 21. 11. Pro Football Focus graded rookie Sauce Gardner as the best corner in the NFL. 4) New England Patriots: Stephon Gilmore & J.C. Jackson. Reed and Tre . 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. Receivers started getting smaller and more shifty. For the most part, the Buffalo Bills invest wisely in the right people and positions. 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. Pro Football Network strives to passionately deliver purposeful, captivating, and exceptional football content. Hes one of the more impactful free agents still on the market. 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. 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. 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. 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. Butler has been one of the best in the league at getting his hands on the football throughout his career. TreDavious White has been one of the top cornerbacks in the league since the minute he stepped on an NFL field. Cowboys: 6-10. / by Eric Mullin. Holland was the highest-graded safety since Week 9 by over four grading points. Its worth pointing out that Slay frequently draws the opposing teams top receiving option in single coverage, and his 97 single coverage targets over the past two seasons is a top-five mark at the position. Butler had arguably his best season in coverage since his New England days last year with Tennessee. 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. Giants: 6-10. He allowed just 30 receiving yards on 359 coverage snaps across his final 11 games that season. 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. 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. Instead, hes heading in the wrong direction. That is how much top-end cornerback play there is in the NFL. Free safety Tracy Walker (12.85), though, offered little to suggest he can help Detroit turn the ship around quickly on defense. Now the question is, are they able to maintain that if they undergo another coaching change? The top cornerbacks for 2022 are all established stars who are all playing some of the best football of their careers. 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. Haden may be on the downward slope of his career, but he has provided Pittsburgh with steady play at cornerback since joining the team in 2018 and should continue to do so in 2021. With modern NFL rules, its a disadvantage not to have the type of foot speed Ward possesses. Hes a wide receiver baiting quarterbacks into throwing passes that he can jump. > 2021 NFL > Advanced Stats. 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. The Eagles aren't the best NFC East team on paper. 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. 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. The lack of talent and experience was apparent, especially without safety Marcus Maye, who ruptured his Achilles midway through the season. The official start of NFL free agency doesn't begin until March 13. Full Site Menu. 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. 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. Safeties Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker both finished the regular season as top-five-graded players at the position. 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 . Rookie Eric Stokes stepped up and grew into his role as the season wore on. The Lions have done a disappointing job of drafting and developing talent under previous regimes. However, Miamis cornerback really blossomed in 2020, intercepting a league-high 10 passes. 32. 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 . 9 by over four grading points higher than any other NFL franchise form one of more... 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