As a result, Diggs' coverage grade rang in just above the 50th percentile among cornerbacks. The tandem tormented AFC quarterbacks for years. However, if White can keep up his torrent pace in 2021, he could easily elevate into the same conversation for CB1. In 2020, Howard led the league in interceptions (10) and pass breakups (20) for his first All-Pro nod. And star cornerback, Cincinnatis passing offense wasnt the team's only unit to take a major leap in 2021. 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. Dean expanded his role in the Buccaneers defense from fewer than 400 snaps in 2019 to 935 defensive snaps this past season. Howard has struggled so far in 2021, but the same can be said for the entire Dolphins defense. That's when deals are officially negotiated and reported signings fly across . 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. Ask any executive or coach around the league at this Darius Big Play Slay played a big part in the Eagles cracking a spot in the top half of the league. Return to Top; Players. Safety, The Rams' pass-defense unit regressed some from 2020, but make no mistake: This is still an above-average group. 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. The Panthers get a physical and sticky man coverage cornerback who will be an interesting fit on an incredibly young defense. Jalen Ramsey, Los Angeles Rams. 32. Most tackles since 2015:1. Free-agent signing William Jackson III was an up-and-down performer. He also stands out as one of the better zone-coverage cornerbacks in the NFL, ranking in the 94th percentile of all cornerbacks on such plays during the 2020 season. Brian Poole (not re-signed) was the only cornerback to hold opponents to negative EPA per target in 2020. . Hes 61, 210 pounds, and his spider chart might as well have been colored in by a nine-year-old. His value is easy to see. In truth, he could be there already. Theyre simply on a tier of their own for the time being. 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. Reader, yet neither made an impact last season due to injury. Jones allowed 1.4 yards per coverage snap . It just wasnt all there for him in 2020. The Packers signed veteran Rasul Douglas midseason, and he far surpassed expectations with a 76.5 coverage grade. 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. He finished with four picks, made the PFWA All-Rookie Team and was PFF's 41st-graded corner in 2021, just behind Colts Pro Bowler Kenny Moore. But certain units . 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. Hes one of the few thatll travel anywhere on the defense to cover an offenses best weapon. If Lattimores career was flipped in reverse order, theres a reasonable chance that he would be inside the top five on this list. Jamel Dean, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31. 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. 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. Yet, despite praise for Antoine Winfield Jrs rookie year, both he and fellow starting safety Jordan Whitehead will hope to make improvements in coverage, having given up 11.33 and 12.32 burn yards per target, respectively. Now the question is, are they able to maintain that if they undergo another coaching change? Butler allowed the 10th-most burn yards per snap among corners with at least 200 coverage snaps (2.42) while Alford has not played since the 2018 season. But Las Vegas can afford to have confidence in the secondary going into 2021. Overall, New York allowed more EPA per pass than any other defense in the regular season. 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. 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. 4) New England Patriots: Stephon Gilmore & J.C. Jackson. Bradberry's 2021 season, though, was abysmal. 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. 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. He isnt at the top of the CB rankings yet simply because this is all so new. 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. 25. He gets to passes that most receivers cannot get to, making his multiple near-INTs in 2021 as impressive as his 7 actual interceptions. a 2016 second-round pick has been the worst safety in the NFL this year. Marcus Peters, Baltimore Ravens Darius Slay, Philadelphia Eagles Congratulations, Arizona. No Jaire Alexander? The Patriots did what the Patriots always do they traded (or cut) a player thats still near the top of his game, but is beginning to walk down the hill. After a broken-up pass against Wake Forest in 2016, he pranced behind the unsuspecting receiver in a manner Ive never witnessed. 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. He was one of the league's worst corners by nearly every metric, which led to the new regime cutting him outright. 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. Personally, I want a guy who travels up and down the field on an assignment basis against the opposing teams best receivers. 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. 24. No problem. The two worst cornerbacks in the league were forced into action because of injuries. His goal is not to make it so a quarterback doesnt want to throw the ball his way. Veteran. 247Sports Composite. And even he had a volatile season with a 60.5 coverage grade. In his first two seasons, A.J. His on-field and sideline hijinx make it look like he legitimately loves every second of playing football. His numbers have taken a slight hit in the two years since, but Fuller is coming off a solid 70.2 coverage grade in 2020. I simply wont acknowledge any Jalen Ramsey disrespect in this dojo. 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. Only two cornerbacks gave up a big play in coverage more regularly than Okudah, who did so on 43.9% of his targets. With some personnel tweaks, the Chiefs secondary revived itself. 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. Who will be back: Jackson, despite a $19-million cap hit, will likely be back for one more season. . Questions remain at cornerback, however, after Avonte Maddox struggled while playing outside corner last year and Darius Slay underperformed. Its unfortunate hes not more widely regarded as a ballhawk, but many cant look past the paltry INT numbers to his. Safety Jimmie Ward was the teams highest-graded defensive back in coverage (73.7). Tennessees loss has turned into the Giants gain. If Ramsey is the freak, Alexander is the new mold. Another of those factors was health, as Darby played over 600 defensive snaps in 2020 for the first time in four seasons. Only one defensive back nickel cornerback Tavierre Thomas didnt produce a sub-60.0 coverage grade. (Gary Cosby Jr./. We use our own and third-party cookies to improve your experience and our services. 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. 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 . Cornerback was a major area of concern for the Cardinals. 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. Hes going up against each teams best receiver, shadowing them around the field. According to PFF WAR, the veteran corner was the sixth-most valuable cornerback in the league over the 2015, 2017 and 2018 seasons. He plays so he is targeted, which leads to his interceptions. Hes slimmer, and with that lack of cumbersome muscle, hes more efficiently able to transition and stick. 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. Projections: Offensive rookies. The Detroit Lions were, by most metrics, the worst defensive team in the NFL last year and they probably won't be much better . Six cornerbacks played over 100 snaps for the Jaguars in 2021 and only one Shaquill Griffin produced a coverage grade above 60.0. 6 on the list, as his 86.2 coverage . He had one of the highest forced incompletion rates in the league this past year with Washington one of several contributing factors to the multi-year deal that Denver offered him. Its part of what makes identifying the leagues best at the position so challenging. That mark was also good for fourth-best at the position in the 2021 regular season. 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. (Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports) Listen . Things got off to a rough start when the Lions lost 2020 No. Discover Next Gen Stats News, Charts, and Statistics. There is a massive amount of talent currently at the position. The league's inaugural 17-game season . He remains among the league leaders in targets, and with that comes the yards. worst 2021 cornerback. Some cornerbacks are tasked with shutting down their side of the field in zone, while other top cornerbacks are given the unenviable job of following the opposing teams No. The Bengals' pass coverage finished the regular season as the seventh-most improved group year over year in terms of EPA allowed per pass. In a pass-heavy league, the cornerback position has grown into one of the most important positions on the football field. A strong work out at LSU's pro day on April 6th could help to turn around his draft stock. PFF's exclusive metrics provide Cornerback (CB) position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Quinton Dunbar (44.4) allowed a 20-yard burn or a burn for a touchdown more often than any other player at his position when playing for the Seahawks. Rookie Patrick Surtain II also showed a lot of promise and looks like a star in the making. Ahmad Gardner, Cincinnati . 4) Patrick Surtain II, Denver Broncos. To look exclusively at the secondary, the results for defenders who spend their playing time almost exclusively in the box have been filtered out. Those struggles wouldnt last, though. 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. Top 32 cornerbacks in the NFL for the 2021 season | 1-10, Top 32 cornerbacks in the NFL for the 2021 season | 11-32, Jaire Alexander is responsible for my favorite troll of all time on a football field. When Diggs is targeted, the opponents quarterback rating is 45. 1. Pro Football Network, LLC. Henderson. Terrell locked up his opponents on a weekly basis, allowing no more than 32 yards in a single game this year. The 2021 top-10 pick allowed over 60 yards just once last season and led the draft class in combined interceptions and pass breakups (12). 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. Yet, with Quandre Diggs coming off a year in which he conceded a disappointing 13.82 burn yards per target, this is a group with more questions than answers. 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. However, in White, the Bills have a shutdown corner who can lift the play of those around him. However, their defensive backfield is only 15th in aggregate coverage rating, coming in 3% better than average. 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. 1 wide receiver in man coverage. Fuller allowed just 53% of the passes into his coverage to be completed with four interceptions and nine pass breakups. 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. 27. Alexander has those piercing eyes that make him and Randall Cobb look related, and I cant imagine having to line up against him with those things staring a hole through the crown of my nose. 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. Their team slot coverage grade ended up multiple grading points higher than any other NFL franchise. It was only natural that the prototype for cornerback shifted as well. Jalen Ramsey, Los Angeles Rams The NFL in 2014 settled a class action lawsuit with retired . Bradberry was the fourth-most valuable cornerback in the league in 2020 per PFF WAR, with career-best coverage numbers across the board. The strength of this group comes from two former Washington Huskies. Dean expanded his role in the 2021 regular season take a major leap in 2021 but! 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