The Lions have done a disappointing job of drafting and developing talent under previous regimes. Outside corner J.C. Jackson was also one of the best at his respective position, earning a top-five PFF grade in the regular season. 30. Jalen Ramsey, Los Angeles Rams. 18. When Diggs is targeted, the opponents quarterback rating is 45. He was one of the league's worst corners by nearly every metric, which led to the new regime cutting him outright. 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. Ramsey has been one of the best cornerbacks in the league since Jacksonville drafted him fifth overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. Las Vegas Raiders . Age: 28 (29 on 8/4/23) Playing time: 16 games, 316 special teams snaps (77.07% of team total), 63 defensive snaps (5.99% of team total) Key statistics: 19 tackles, 1 quarterback hit, 4 pass . Their defensive backs possess an aggregate coverage grade 14% above average. Kansas City's defense looked dead in the water after the first five weeks of the season. 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. Hes one of the few thatll travel anywhere on the defense to cover an offenses best weapon. The cornerback room was more in the middle of the pack, ranking 16th in PFF WAR generated. Hes a wide receiver baiting quarterbacks into throwing passes that he can jump. But Las Vegas can afford to have confidence in the secondary going into 2021. 32. Bradberry's 2021 season, though, was abysmal. 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. He plays so he is targeted, which leads to his interceptions. Williams earned coverage grades above 81.0 in each of the last two years and made some remarkable plays on the ball in coverage in Brandon Staleys defense in 2020. Houston might want to think about using its No. (Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports) Listen . Detroits secondary has been problematic over the past few years, and it didnt get any better in Year 1 under Dan Campbell. worst 2021 cornerback. Should Malcolm Butler and Robert Alford earn starting roles, they will provide veteran presences at outside corner, yet their recent play should not inspire much confidence. Kendall Fuller was one of the three most valuable cornerbacks of the 2021 season and helped a great deal in Washington ranking even this high. 22. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. Still, they held up well, ranking sixth in coverage grade and second in EPA per pass play allowed on such plays. 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. Awuzie was the second-highest graded cornerback of the regular season, while Hilton was the seventh-highest graded slot corner in coverage. 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. 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. Tampas secondary arguably already took a step forward as the Buccaneers claimed their second Super Bowl title last season. Casey Hayward, Las Vegas Raiders 1. Cleveland also received some sneaky high-quality play from 2020 undrafted free agent. Still, hes a gifted tactician at the position and will get back on his feet this season. They consistently ranked near the bottom of the league in every metric imaginable, including defensive back, 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. They were among the five least valuable secondaries in the league, and the cornerback room, in particular, finished as the second-lowest graded group. 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. Awuzie was the second-highest graded cornerback of the regular season, while Hilton was the seventh-highest graded slot corner in coverage. Kenny Moore II, Indianapolis Colts13. In 2019 and 2020, for instance, he played more in the slot than out wide. Terrell locked up his opponents on a weekly basis, allowing no more than 32 yards in a single game this year. Davis and Dean form one of the best cornerback pairings in the NFL. Injuries held him to just over 300 snaps for San Francisco last season, but Sherman was the highest-graded cornerback in the league (90.3 overall) back in 2019. Lavonte David 6943. Terrell. Discover Next Gen Stats News, Charts, and Statistics. Return to Top; Players. 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. 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 battled injuries early in the season, which didnt help in the adjustment to a man-heavy coverage scheme under Brian Flores. Congratulations, Arizona. After a broken-up pass against Wake Forest in 2016, he, . Using advanced data, weve ranked every secondary in the NFL by their performance in pass coverage. To further my point, Matthew Staffords EPA is 39, and hes an MVP candidate at quarterback. No problem. 1. 3 overall pick Jeffrey Okudah in Week 1 for the year with a ruptured Achilles. 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. Cornerback Charvarius Ward was also playing exceptionally better after missing a month due to injury. Darius Slay, Philadelphia Eagles Eric Kendricks 639 # . Ya-Sin made his best plays on his few snaps in press-man, while Rodgers' top moments came in off-zone when racking up stops. Giants: 6-10. 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. Only two cornerbacks gave up a big play in coverage more regularly than Okudah, who did so on 43.9% of his targets. Jackson burst onto the scene with a 90.4 coverage grade in his first season of action back in 2017. There is a massive amount of talent currently at the position. Heck, he played more snaps in the slot in 2020 than he did on the outside. Prior to landing his big-money extension in 2020, not many truly understood White's value to . If Lattimores career was flipped in reverse order, theres a reasonable chance that he would be inside the top five on this list. 11. 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. The top cornerbacks for 2022 are all established stars who are all playing some of the best football of their careers. In the last six years, Darius Slay Jr. has made it to the Pro Bowl five times, a remarkable stretch of dominance. 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. With more than 20 pending free agents, the front office will have a lot of work to do. However, if White can keep up his torrent pace in 2021, he could easily elevate into the same conversation for CB1. 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. 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 . 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. 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. He has featured in a versatile role this season, with over 300 snaps each in the slot and on the outside. Its part of what makes identifying the leagues best at the position so challenging. No group of cornerbacks played more man coverage than the Miami Dolphins. > 2021 NFL > Advanced Stats. 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. But certain units . Williams is Denver's long-term answer at running back . T.J. Green has played because of . The Patriots will look for that bounce-back season in 2021. His goal is not to make it so a quarterback doesnt want to throw the ball his way. 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. Jan 10, 2022. 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. His on-field and sideline hijinx make it look like he legitimately loves every second of playing football. The hope for Miami will be that he gets back toward the player who earned a five-year, $82.5 million contract last offseason. 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. Reed Jr. and safety Quandre Diggs were two of Seattle's bright spots. Check out the 2021 NFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics including AFC and NFC results and standings on Pro-football-reference.com 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. He returns to the field in 2022, a huge boost . Six cornerbacks played over 100 snaps for the Jaguars in 2021 and only one Shaquill Griffin produced a coverage grade above 60.0. 2020 Yards-Allowed Rank: No. NFL Player Grades - current. Episode 2 of the "Top 100 Players of 2022" aired on Sunday, with three cornerbacks making the list between Nos. Quarterback Josh Allen, cornerback Tre'Davious White, wide receiver . . 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. The Raiders entered 2021 on a streak of arguably the worst defensive back play in the entire NFL. Aug 3, 2021. Hes 61, 210 pounds, and his spider chart might as well have been colored in by a nine-year-old. Jones matched his interception total across the first five seasons of his career last year with Miami, but it was his worst season from a production allowed standpoint since making the switch to cornerback in 2018. His 84.6 PFF grade finished as the third-best at the position. Greg Newsome, Cleveland Browns, 26. 14. Butler has been one of the best in the league at getting his hands on the football throughout his career. Marlon Humphrey, Baltimore Ravens. They ranked dead last in slot coverage grade following the regular season. Christian D'Andrea. But two underrated additions could see them catapult into the top five. Donte Jackson, Carolina Panthers Ramsey produced the highest coverage grade and most PFF WAR among all cornerbacks in the regular season. Buffalos secondary endured a crushing blow in Week 12 when CB1 TreDavious White went down with a season-ending torn ACL. It was only natural that the prototype for cornerback shifted as well. 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. Detroits defensive backs aggregate coverage grade is 27% below average. He gets to passes that most receivers cannot get to, making his multiple near-INTs in 2021 as impressive as his 7 actual interceptions. Only one defensive back nickel cornerback, Galina: The shortcomings of the Kellen Moore-Dak Prescott connection for the Dallas Cowboys. 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. 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. 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. And Peters ranks tied for fifth at the position in pass breakups (52) over that same time frame. Led by, Ward and Newsome, in particular, produced top-10 coverage grades when in single coverage. 1 cornerback who will allow them to play more man coverage if they desire. 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. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. The low-level play ultimately led to his benching by the seasons end. No Jaire Alexander? Copyright 2019-2023. Xavien Howard has always been an outstanding blend of consistency and aggression. Still, the Saints defense was great last season and has continued to be so in 2021. He led the position in interceptions (11), yards allowed (1,026) and penalties (11) this regular season. Terrells breakout to elite status, Atlanta would be threatening to place last on this list. All Rights Reserved. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. TreDavious White has been one of the top cornerbacks in the league since the minute he stepped on an NFL field. 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. The Seahawks appear to be banking on Ahkello Witherspoon making a leap he never managed with the San Francisco 49ers. The Vikings invested heavily in the secondary in recent years and the numbers suggest that decision could pay dividends in the coming season. 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. 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. Cross died in 2021. Jaylon Johnson, Chicago Bears Yet, despite his All-Pro name, Mercilus has not been great the last couple of years. Reader, yet neither made an impact last season due to injury. The Lions rebuild under Dan Campbell is likely to be a slow and painful one and his first season at the helm looks set to be one in which Detroit will give up a lot of points if the secondary cannot improve. Here is PFFs 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. There is a massive amount of talent currently at the position. From Week 12 to the end of the regular season, he was one of the 10 highest-graded cornerbacks in the NFL. This season, the division is up for grabs yet again. 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. Washington possessed one of the better defenses in the NFL in 2020;Jacksons addition should only improve it, giving them a No. Pittsburgh also went from second to 29th in passer rating allowed on deep targets year over year. 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. That mark was also good for fourth-best at the position in the 2021 regular season. 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. If you built a cornerback in a lab, they would look like Ramsey. 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. 32. 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. Bobby Wagner 8452. We use our own and third-party cookies to improve your experience and our services. The Raiders entered 2021 on a streak of arguably the worst defensive back play in the entire NFL. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. As I said in last week's Schein Nine, NFL offenses are more creative and dynamic than ever before. His 45.3 coverage grade was the fourth-lowest among qualifying cornerbacks. It shouldnt be a surprise that the group finished with one of the three-lowest unit coverage grades of the year. White is right there with Howard as one of the best playmaking cornerbacks in the league. The veteran had a career year, earning the highest coverage grade (83.9) of his nine years in the NFL ranks.

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