* - denotes 2022 prospect. Ranking top 10 cornerbacks in NFL for 2021: Jalen Ramsey leads pack that includes talented newcomers . 20. However, I prefer to look at this exercise as a nod of respect toward the top cornerbacks in the NFL for the 2021 season. Devon Witherspoon is a player who has had the best production throughout 2022 and has been simply elite while . Jackson has been one of the stingiest cornerbacks in the league on deep targets since entering the league. Kansas City's defense looked dead in the water after the first five weeks of the season. Howard has struggled so far in 2021, but the same can be said for the entire Dolphins defense. He remains among the league leaders in targets, and with that comes the yards. The Rams' pass-defense unit regressed some from 2020, but make no mistake: This is still an above-average group. Injuries destroyed the Ravens this past season. Cincinnatis passing offense wasnt the team's only unit to take a major leap in 2021. targeted, which leads to his interceptions. Prior to landing his big-money extension in 2020, not many truly understood White's value to . His 19.1% forced incompletion rate was a top-five mark at the cornerback position last year, tied with Jaire Alexander. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. The Rams may have lost key pieces in the secondary in the form of safety John Johnson and cornerback Troy Hill but, even with the departure of defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, moving the ball on Los Angeles through the air will be an imposing challenge in 2021. The Texans dont have many players on their roster who they can rely on for steady play, but Roby is one of the few, assuming he doesnt receive another six-game suspension in 2021. Strong safety Kareem Jackson was ninth among all players at the position in burn yards per target allowed with 7.76. Pittsburgh also went from second to 29th in passer rating allowed on deep targets year over year. Kenny Moore II, Indianapolis Colts13. 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. He was 10th in the NFL at his position in adjusted open percentage (21.58). The Raiders entered 2021 on a streak of arguably the worst defensive back play in the entire NFL. 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. Subscribe to . Yet, there were signs this group is primed to make further progress in 2021, most of which came from starting corner Jamel Dean. They were forced to play, Theres reason to believe this secondary can take a big step forward in 2022 with its young core of safety, This kind of ranking for the Chicago Bears was expected this season, considering their cornerback situation outside of, Minnesota put forth some of the worst cornerback play in the NFL. 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. Safety, The Rams' pass-defense unit regressed some from 2020, but make no mistake: This is still an above-average group. Howard is one of the best playmaking cornerbacks that the NFL has to offer. He also had 81 tackles, three sacks and seven tackles for loss. 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. J.C. Jackson isnt the most consistent cornerback in the world, but hes not necessarily the gambler that Howard and Marcus Peters tend to be. Jalen Ramsey, Los Angeles Rams Since 2017, he has forced more incompletions on passes 20-plus yards downfield (18) than he has receptions allowed (14). Fuller is set to be reunited with Vic Fangio in Denver. Houstons fielded the lowest-graded secondary in the NFL by a whopping eight grading points. 6 and . 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. Terrell was actually the second-highest graded cornerback in coverage in the 2021 regular season, behind only Jalen Ramsey. Darious Williams, Los Angeles Rams This group should contend for the top spot next season. He also ranks in at least the 87th percentile in coverage grades at both alignments. He finished with the lowest slot coverage grade in the NFL. Terrells breakout to elite status, Atlanta would be threatening to place last on this list. If Lattimores career was flipped in reverse order, theres a reasonable chance that he would be inside the top five on this list. That mark was also good for fourth-best at the position in the 2021 regular season. 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. All Rights Reserved. Hes a wide receiver baiting quarterbacks into throwing passes that he can jump. By continuing and using the site, including by remaining on the landing . 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. 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. The slot was also a considerable issue all year long, as Chicago produced the sixth-worst coverage grade at the position this 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. According to PFF WAR, the veteran corner was the sixth-most valuable cornerback in the league over the 2015, 2017 and 2018 seasons. However, Miamis cornerback really blossomed in 2020, intercepting a league-high 10 passes. 4) New England Patriots: Stephon Gilmore & J.C. Jackson. Free safety Tracy Walker (12.85), though, offered little to suggest he can help Detroit turn the ship around quickly on defense. The Eagles aren't the best NFC East team on paper. He battled injuries early in the season, which didnt help in the adjustment to a man-heavy coverage scheme under Brian Flores. 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. Check out the 2021 NFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics including AFC and NFC results and standings on Pro-football-reference.com Reed and Tre . 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. 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. In his first two seasons, A.J. 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. 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. We often bring up the difficult coverage assignments that No. Cross, who was 81 when he died Feb. 28, 2021, suffered from stage 4 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Boston University researchers said Tuesday. Defensive rookies. 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. If it werent for A.J. 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 . which is used by all 32 NFL teams we'll rank all 32 NFL secondaries from the 2021 regular season. Still, hes a gifted tactician at the position and will get back on his feet this season. Blake Martinez 6575. 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. This week, were evaluating defensive backs. . After being charged with eight receptions allowed in Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys, Ramsey proceeded to allow just 24 receptions over the remainder of the regular season, giving upfewer than 25 receiving yards in 11 games. Outside of safety Derwin James, the Chargers' secondary left a lot to be desired in 2021. He plays so he is targeted, which leads to his interceptions. NAME SEASON TM GP TKL AST COMB SCK SCKY INT INT YDS INT TD FF FR FR TD; Jahleel Addae: 2021: IND. He led the position in interceptions (11), yards allowed (1,026) and penalties (11) this regular season. 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. Byron Murphy, Arizona Cardinals12. He has earned overall grades between 64.7 and 72.9 in every season since 2012, barring a career-high 82.5 grade in his first year with the Giants in 2016. So, which secondaries were a boon and which were a hindrance this season? Lavonte David 6943. While Surtain will go early in the 2021 NFL Draft, he is not as good of a prospect as Jalen Ramsey or C.J. 30. Donte Jackson, Carolina Panthers We considered putting Humphrey atop the list of the best slot cornerbacks in the NFL, given that he has spent the majority of his snaps lined up in the slot over the past two seasons filling the void left by an injured Tavon Young. Marshon Lattimore struggled a bit relative to expectations in 2020, but hes back with a vengeance in 2021. 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. In both 2019 and 2020, he recorded a pressure rate below 9% (per SIS Datahub). 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