This is not a forward-looking list, nor is it considering what a group accomplished prior to this season. Jun 5, 2021 5:19 PM EDT. Six cornerbacks played over 100 snaps for the Jaguars in 2021 and only one Shaquill Griffin produced a coverage grade above 60.0. Only two cornerbacks gave up a big play in coverage more regularly than Okudah, who did so on 43.9% of his targets. Slay will look to rebound under a new coaching staff and get back to making plays on the ball after ranking second in the league in forced incompletions (75) across his seven years in Detroit. This is the worst front seven in the NFL. After a broken-up pass against Wake Forest in 2016, he pranced behind the unsuspecting receiver in a manner Ive never witnessed. So, which secondaries were a boon and which were a hindrance this season? The Patriots boast what could very well be the best of the top cornerback duos in 2021 if Stephon Gilmore has a bounce-back season. Jones allowed 1.4 yards per coverage snap . 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. Top 32 cornerbacks in the NFL for the 2021 season | 1-10. We often bring up the difficult coverage assignments that No. Cornerback was a clear need for the Jaguars entering this offseason. 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. Receivers started getting smaller and more shifty. 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 has featured in a versatile role this season, with over 300 snaps each in the slot and on the outside. Bradberry's 2021 season, though, was abysmal. There is a massive amount of talent currently at the position. 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. Ward and Newsome, in particular, produced top-10 coverage grades when in single coverage. Minnesotas defensive backs rank 10th in aggregate coverage rating, performing 5% better than average. But with Horn getting shut down after a Week 3 injury and Henderson struggling to get acclimated after getting traded to the team a month into the season, it was a subpar year for the secondary. I simply wont acknowledge any Jalen Ramsey disrespect in this dojo. Jackson is fluid and explosive with great natural feet to play a sticky brand of man coverage. The lack of talent and experience was apparent, especially without safety, Houstons fielded the lowest-graded secondary in the NFL by a whopping eight grading points. A cause for concern may come across from White after a mediocre year for Levi Wallace, whose adjusted open percentage (30.85) was close to double that of White, but the Bills have to be impressed by the progress of nickel Taron Johnson, who allowed a big play on only 14 of his 74 targets at inside corner last year. William Jackson III, Washington Football Team Terrell has flashed the ability to become one of the truly . a 2016 second-round pick has been the worst safety in the NFL this year. When Diggs is targeted, the opponents quarterback rating is 45. 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. Marcus Peters, Baltimore Ravens From Week 7 on, Ward allowed more than 50 yards in coverage just once. None of their cornerbacks had a quality campaign, but. 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. Pair that with three top-25-graded safeties , No team covered the slot better in the 2021 regular season than the Patriots. In the last six years, Darius Slay Jr. has made it to the Pro Bowl five times, a remarkable stretch of dominance. Alexander was still the same playmaker in 2020, but he was much more stingy in coverage, allowing just 353 receiving yards all season including Green Bays two postseason games despite logging nearly 600 coverage snaps. What Diggs is doing through six games is absurd. In 2021, the two 25-year-olds each missed several games but allowed under 700 yards in coverage combined. So, which secondaries were a boon and which were a hindrance this season? Which teams have the best -- and worst -- running back units? 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. Thats a tip of the cap to everyone in the secondary for stepping up, including 2020 seventh-rounder, 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. With more than 20 pending free agents, the front office will have a lot of work to do. 1 wide receiver in man coverage. Published: Oct 20, 2022 at 03:19 PM . It hasnt taken Alexander very long to establish himself as one of the leagues best coverage cornerbacks. He gets to passes that most receivers cannot get to, making his multiple near-INTs in 2021 as impressive as his 7 actual interceptions. Projections: Offensive rookies. Above-average press man cornerback with NFL bloodlines and a well-rounded but not spectacular all-around game. Still, the Saints defense was great last season and has continued to be so in 2021. Who looks to be a top-10 cornerback in the NFL right now? They were among the five least valuable secondaries in the league, and the cornerback room, in particular, finished as the second-lowest graded group. In 2017, Slay led the league in interceptions and . Jones was the NFL's highest-paid cornerback when he signed a five-year, $82.5 . Were taking a look at the best and worst units in football at each positional grouping. They made a league-leading 23 plays on the ball from the slot en route to allowing the lowest passer rating (71.1). worst 2021 cornerback 2021. worst 2021 cornerback 2021. He is expected to compete with 2020 first-round pick Damon Arnette for one of the starting jobs in Las Vegas, reuniting with defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. 9: 10: 5: 15: 0.0: 0: 0: 0: 0: 0: 0: 0: . 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. 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. Reed Jr. and safety Quandre Diggs were two of Seattle's bright spots. 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. 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. Ramsey is a freak, and on top of it all, hes so good against the run that his late-career safety transition will probably end in an All-Pro berth or two. Feb. 28 (UPI) --Former NFL star cornerback Irv Cross, who died in 2021, was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, Boston University researchers announced Tuesday. Butler has been one of the best in the league at getting his hands on the football throughout his career. Cincinnatis passing offense wasnt the team's only unit to take a major leap in 2021. The lack of talent and experience was apparent, especially without safety Marcus Maye, who ruptured his Achilles midway through the 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. We use our own and third-party cookies to improve your experience and our services. Humphrey impacts the games in all the ways you want him to. The safety pairing of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer may also be hoping for a bounce-back year, with the latter having allowed a burn on 13 of his 28 targets at free safety in 2020. . This kind of ranking for the Chicago Bears was expected this season, considering their cornerback situation outside of Jaylon Johnson. Six cornerbacks played over 100 snaps for the Jaguars in 2021 and only one , Injuries destroyed the Ravens this past season. Fuller allowed just 53% of the passes into his coverage to be completed with four interceptions and nine pass breakups. Quarterback Josh Allen, cornerback Tre'Davious White, wide receiver . 4-overall prospect). Who looks to be a top-10 cornerback in the NFL right now? NFL's Next Gen Stats captures real time location data, speed and acceleration for every player, every play on every inch of the field. 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. Xavien Howard has always been an outstanding blend of consistency and aggression. Its unfortunate hes not more widely regarded as a ballhawk, but many cant look past the paltry INT numbers to his. A.J. 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. Hes one of the few thatll travel anywhere on the defense to cover an offenses best weapon. At his advancing age, two underwhelming seasons in a row would be a strong signal to sell him in these cornerback rankings moving forward. After an offseason in which Arizona did little to address the cornerback position, the onus may again be on that pair to elevate those around them, unless Butler and Alford unexpectedly recapture their form of old. Awuzie was the second-highest graded cornerback of the regular season, while Hilton was the seventh-highest graded slot corner in coverage. He recorded just one interception and two pass breakups on 42 targets, allowing a career-high 96.7 passer rating into his coverage. 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. That is how much top-end cornerback play there is in the NFL. Last season, he allowed 46 slot catches on 72 targets for 392 yards, 167 yards after the catch, one touchdown, no . 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. But it's easy to know who the favorite is. Minnesota put forth some of the worst cornerback play in the NFL. 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 . 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. Henderson. Figures indicate statistics each team allowed to their opponents. 25. 4) Patrick Surtain II, Denver Broncos. White does a fantastic job of toeing the line between aggressive and reckless. 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 Seahawks appear to be banking on Ahkello Witherspoon making a leap he never managed with the San Francisco 49ers. Hes 61, 210 pounds, and his spider chart might as well have been colored in by a nine-year-old. In a pass-heavy league, the cornerback position has grown into one of the most important positions on the football field. Both players were among the 15 most valuable players at their respective positions, according to PFF WAR. White is right there with Howard as one of the best playmaking cornerbacks in the league. James Bradberry, New York Giants, 21. 24. To look exclusively at the secondary, the results for defenders who spend their playing time almost exclusively in the box have been filtered out. Check out the 2021 NFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics including AFC and NFC results and standings on Pro-football-reference.com If that remains the case, Buffalos secondary should stay among the best in the league even with only marginal improvements made by his teammates. : 5: 15: 0.0: 0: 0: 0: 0: 0: 0::... 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