Humphrey impacts the games in all the ways you want him to. Pro Football Focus graded rookie Sauce Gardner as the best corner in the NFL. 24. 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. If it werent for A.J. 11. 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. Ranking the 11 worst plays of the 2021 NFL regular season. 2022 season/2023 NFL Draft outlook. Fuller is set to be reunited with Vic Fangio in Denver. If Lattimores career was flipped in reverse order, theres a reasonable chance that he would be inside the top five on this list. Jackson has been one of the stingiest cornerbacks in the league on deep targets since entering the league. Mackenzie Alexanders return after a year with the Cincinnati Bengals may see him start at nickel, and he will need to improve after allowing 11.16 burn yards per target from the slot last season. 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. Darious Williams, Los Angeles Rams Xavien Howard picked an opportune time to hold out for a new contract.. In 2021, the two 25-year-olds each missed several games but allowed under 700 yards in coverage combined. a 2016 second-round pick has been the worst safety in the NFL this year. Whether it was injuries or age starting to show in one of the man-heaviest defenses in the NFL, he was not the same player in 2020. At his advancing age, two underwhelming seasons in a row would be a strong signal to sell him in these cornerback rankings moving forward. But it's easy to know who the favorite is. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Holland was the highest-graded safety since Week 9 by over four grading points. Asante Samuel Jr. showed some positive play at times this season, with seven pass breakups and two interceptions, but he still finished with a triple-digit passer rating allowed en route to being the 11th-most valuable rookie corner. New York Jets Carlton Davis may draw the more demanding assignments, but Dean has been just about as good as Tampa Bay could have hoped for in his role over the past two seasons. The Raiders entered 2021 on a streak of arguably the worst defensive back play in the entire NFL. Those three cornerbacks shared a combined 17 years of experience in the NFL. The three highest PFF grades of Fuller's career came with Fangio as the defensive coordinator in Chicago from 2015 to 2018. Changing that and successfully developing Okudah and Melifonwu will be crucial to this secondary climbing out of the cellar. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS. Pro Football Network, LLC. That is how much top-end cornerback play there is in the NFL. Led by Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams and rookie Greg Newsome II, the Browns' cornerback grade finished with the third-best coverage grade in the NFL. 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. 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. . The Raiders defensive backs rank seventh for aggregate coverage, rating 10% better than the average. Despite a productive three-year run with the Atlanta Falcons, Poole's one-year, $3.5 million free-agent deal with the New York Jets last offseason was met with little fanfare. Since 2019, Marlon Humphreys done exactly that in Wink Martindales aggressive man-to-man scheme. That larger role didnt lead to less impressive coverage numbers. 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 1 cornerback in the league heading into the 2020 season, fresh off a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2019. Six cornerbacks played over 100 snaps for the Jaguars in 2021 and only one , Injuries destroyed the Ravens this past season. Its too early to say Gilmore cant get back to that level, though. Thats a tip of the cap to everyone in the secondary for stepping up, including 2020 seventh-rounder Dane Jackson, who didnt allow a touchdown in any regular-season start after replacing White. Jackson burst onto the scene with a 90.4 coverage grade in his first season of action back in 2017. Donte Jackson, Carolina Panthers Las Vegas Raiders . Since entering the league in 2016, 18.7% of his targets in coverage have resulted in a pass breakup or interception, leadingall cornerbacks who have been targeted at least 150 times over those five years. His technical inconsistencies are the only thing keeping him from being among that next tier up. NFL teams most likely to unravel in 2021. Ask any executive or coach around the league at this Okudah allowed the offense to gain +1.0 EPA on 43.2 percent of his targets in coverage, the worst rate in the league . His six penalties this past season were fewer than any year since his rookie season in 2013. Green allowed only six receptions for 70 yards on 22 targets while breaking up five and picking off one. Figures indicate statistics each team allowed to their opponents. Dean expanded his role in the Buccaneers defense from fewer than 400 snaps in 2019 to 935 defensive snaps this past season. Hes a wide receiver baiting quarterbacks into throwing passes that he can jump. (Gary Cosby Jr./. He has featured in a versatile role this season, with over 300 snaps each in the slot and on the outside. 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. 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. 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. 5. Safety Jimmie Ward was the teams highest-graded defensive back in coverage (73.7). The Packers still fielded a top-10-graded cornerback room this season despite losing one of the best cover corners in the game for most of the season. No Jaire Alexander? 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. Marshon Lattimore was the highlight of a Saints secondary that ranked seventh in coverage grade and allowed an open target at the third-lowest rate in the league. Only two cornerbacks gave up a big play in coverage more regularly than Okudah, who did so on 43.9% of his targets. 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 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. 20. Carlton Davis, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 16. 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. From Week 7 on, he was one of the 25 highest-graded cornerbacks in the NFL. 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. 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. And star cornerback, Cincinnatis passing offense wasnt the team's only unit to take a major leap in 2021. We're ranking the division by position group. 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. Reed, provided some grounds for optimism as his burn yards . A.J. Taron Johnson, Buffalo Bills Prior to landing his big-money extension in 2020, not many truly understood White's value to . Published: Oct 20, 2022 at 03:19 PM . After recording three straight coverage grades of at least 85.0 in New Englands defense, Gilmore put up just a 58.5 coverage grade in 2020. Congratulations, Arizona. Hes one of the more impactful free agents still on the market. 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. . Full Site Menu. 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. The 2021 second-round pick is a valuable piece to this secondary moving forward, but the other cornerback spots need some work. The top cornerback room? Slay came in at No. 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. 4) Patrick Surtain II, Denver Broncos. NAME SEASON TM GP TKL AST COMB SCK SCKY INT INT YDS INT TD FF FR FR TD; Jahleel Addae: 2021: IND. A Week 5 matchup with Amari Cooper and Dallas put that on display. In 2020, Howard led the league in interceptions (10) and pass breakups (20) for his first All-Pro nod. However, Miamis cornerback really blossomed in 2020, intercepting a league-high 10 passes. The seven touchdowns allowed into his coverage this past season were tied for second-most of any cornerback in the league. No group of cornerbacks played more man coverage than the Miami Dolphins. He also ranks in at least the 87th percentile in coverage grades at both alignments. 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. Houstons fielded the lowest-graded secondary in the NFL by a whopping eight grading points. 2021 stats: 11 games (11 starts), 1 INT, 6 PBUs, 1 FF, 1 FR, 0.5 sacks, 41 combined tackles (27 solo). His 19.1% forced incompletion rate was a top-five mark at the cornerback position last year, tied with Jaire Alexander. To further my point, Matthew Staffords EPA is 39, and hes an MVP candidate at quarterback. 27. In 2019 and 2020, for instance, he played more in the slot than out wide. Those struggles wouldnt last, though. Howard is one of the best playmaking cornerbacks that the NFL has to offer. They made a league-leading 23 plays on the ball from the slot en route to allowing the lowest passer rating (71.1). 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. And we mustnt forget about the impact of rookie safety Jevon Holland. Top 25 cornerbacks in the NFL. Kendall Fuller, Washington Football Team Safety Jayron Kearse was the highest-graded defensive back on the roster, due in large part to his strong tackling. But Las Vegas can afford to have confidence in the secondary going into 2021. The Bengals', pass coverage finished the regular season as the seventh-most improved group year over year in terms of EPA allowed per pass. 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 only outside cornerbacks to allow fewer yards per coverage snap than Dean (0.8) on at least 600 coverage snaps since the start of the 2019 season are Richard Sherman (0.4) and Jalen Ramsey (0.8). His -37.2 EPA when targeted is twice as productive as any other defender in the league. So, which secondaries were a boon and which were a hindrance this season? Subscribe to . 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. 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. Projections: Offensive rookies. Hes one of the few thatll travel anywhere on the defense to cover an offenses best weapon. The Bills defensive backs rank 15 points above the average in aggregate coverage grading. NFL's Next Gen Stats captures real time location data, speed and acceleration for every player, every play on every inch of the field. And star cornerback Jalen Ramsey is a huge reason why. Its unfortunate hes not more widely regarded as a ballhawk, but many cant look past the paltry INT numbers to his league-high 8 forced fumbles in 2020. With the defense surrounding the young CB, he could easily be higher on the list heading into next season. 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. 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. While Surtain will go early in the 2021 NFL Draft, he is not as good of a prospect as Jalen Ramsey or C.J. Wards dominance in single coverage (96th percentile grade since 2018) has been particularly noteworthy. His goal is not to make it so a quarterback doesnt want to throw the ball his way. 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. 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. To look exclusively at the secondary, the results for defenders who spend their playing time almost exclusively in the box have been filtered out. But his play has been up and down over that four-year stretch. Cross, who was 81 when he died Feb. 28, 2021, suffered from stage 4 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Boston University researchers said Tuesday. The position as a whole combined for the third-fewest WAR among the 32 groups. All 259 picks have been made and the 2021 NFL Draft is officially in the books for all 32 franchises. Cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon . worst 2021 cornerback 2021. worst 2021 cornerback 2021. This is not a forward-looking list, nor is it considering what a group accomplished prior to this season. James Bradberry, New York Giants, 21. Not a single one of Dallas' top eight defensive backs by snaps earned a coverage grade in poor territory below 60.0. Consequently, defenses are more stressed than ever before. Injuries destroyed the Ravens this past season. His on-field and sideline hijinx make it look like he legitimately loves every second of playing football. It hasnt taken Alexander very long to establish himself as one of the leagues best coverage cornerbacks. His 84.6 PFF grade finished as the third-best at the position. 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. Peters and Humphrey are the only top-10 duo on this list and a big reason why Baltimores secondary has had the success that it has over the past two seasons. Discover Next Gen Stats News, Charts, and Statistics. 6 on the list, as his 86.2 coverage . Their team slot coverage grade ended up multiple grading points higher than any other NFL franchise. * - denotes 2022 prospect. 90-81. Return to Top; Players. The result was a season where Alexander was worth 1.4 wins above a replacement-level player, almost a full half-win more than any other cornerback. Jenkins was part of the facelift at the cornerback position for Tennessee this offseason, replacing Malcolm Butler and Adoree Jackson with Jenkins and first-round pick Caleb Farley. Over the past few weeks, PFF has unveiled its positional rankings and unit rankings for the 2021 NFL season. 12. Pittsburgh also went from second to 29th in passer rating allowed on deep targets year over year. 1 cornerback who will allow them to play more man coverage if they desire. That all came to a halt with the Chargers in 2020, as Hayward earned a PFF grade of just 59.5 while allowing nearly 17 yards per reception into his coverage. 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 . 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 . The fifth-year cornerback out of Alabama has recorded at least 800 coverage snaps in the slot and out wide throughout his NFL career. 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 . 25. What do you want out of your elite cornerback? 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). 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. 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. Buffalos secondary endured a crushing blow in Week 12 when CB1 TreDavious White went down with a season-ending torn ACL. 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. 3 overall pick Jeffrey Okudah in Week 1 for the year with a ruptured Achilles. 2021 NFL Defensive Secondary Rankings, by Unit 32. I simply wont acknowledge any Jalen Ramsey disrespect in this dojo. Eagles: 4-11-1. He battled injuries early in the season, which didnt help in the adjustment to a man-heavy coverage scheme under Brian Flores. That's when deals are officially negotiated and reported signings fly across . On the other hand, safety Justin Simmons sustained his high-level play by finishing as one of the 10 most valuable players at the position. He ended up allowing 0.37 yards per coverage snap the third-lowest figure in the PFF era behind only Asante Samuel in 2019 and Nnamdi Asomugha in 2008 (0.36 each). The official start of NFL free agency doesn't begin until March 13. 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. Humphrey impacts the games in all the ways you want him to. The Vikings invested heavily in the secondary in recent years and the numbers suggest that decision could pay dividends in the coming season. In his first two seasons, A.J. Waynes three-year, $42 million contract was likely an overpay, but he does profile as a quality starting option. The 2014 first-round pick looked like an ascending star with a 90.9 coverage grade in his second year in the NFL, but he managed to take the field for just over 300 total snaps the following four seasons combined. Six cornerbacks played over 100 snaps for the Jaguars in 2021 and only one Shaquill Griffin produced a coverage grade above 60.0. Only three Power 5 defenders gave up fewer. Free safety Tracy Walker (12.85), though, offered little to suggest he can help Detroit turn the ship around quickly on defense. 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. Patrick Peterson was considered to have had a down year last season but his open percentage of 51.9 when playing outside corner was seventh among players to have taken snaps at that spot. 11. He has picked up coverage grades between 70.4 and 72.4 every season, gradually increasing his playing time each year. 1 cornerbacks in the NFC South are tasked with. With some personnel tweaks, the Chiefs secondary revived itself. 2022 NFL Cornerback Rankings. Jones was the NFL's highest-paid cornerback when he signed a five-year, $82.5 . It doesnt matter where Ramsey is at, though hes been a top-tier player at either position. Kansas City took Daniel Sorensen off the field while bringing back Juan Thornhill and increasing its rate of dime coverage. 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. If you built a cornerback in a lab, they would look like Ramsey. The Seahawks appear to be banking on Ahkello Witherspoon making a leap he never managed with the San Francisco 49ers. Witherspoon allowed a burn on half of his 28 targets last season. Patrick Surtain II, Alabama. Lavonte David 6943. The Lions have done a disappointing job of drafting and developing talent under previous regimes. Although Ringo grew up dreaming of scoring touchdowns, his path to being a high draft pick could come because of his ability to prevent them. Most tackles since 2015:1. he 2021 NFL regular season is over. However, I prefer to look at this exercise as a nod of respect toward the top cornerbacks in the NFL for the 2021 season. I wouldnt have any issue calling White the best cornerback in football if Ramsey and Alexander didnt exist. Buffalos secondary endured a crushing blow in Week 12 when CB1. In the last six years, Darius Slay Jr. has made it to the Pro Bowl five times, a remarkable stretch of dominance. So, which secondaries were a boon and which were a hindrance this season? 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worst cornerbacks in the nfl 2021