Figures indicate statistics each team allowed to their opponents. William Jackson III, Washington Football Team The Bengals spent over $12.7 million on their cornerbacks against the cap in 2022, which was 6.02% of their total . When hes been asked to man up against some of the best receivers in the NFL, hes delivered. Ramsey has been one of the best cornerbacks in the league since Jacksonville drafted him fifth overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. Cornerback Trevon Diggs has been possibly the biggest boom-or-bust cornerback of the PFF era. 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. 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. For the most part, the Buffalo Bills invest wisely in the right people and positions. He isnt at the top of the CB rankings yet simply because this is all so new. The strength of this group comes from two former Washington Huskies. His 3,546 regular-season defensive snaps over the past four seasons are a top-10 mark at the position. Here is the fourth version of our Vikings 2023 Mock Draft Tracker, which features 16 recent predictions from around the world of . 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. 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. Hes a wide receiver baiting quarterbacks into throwing passes that he can jump. 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. Blake Martinez 6575. The Bengals handed out two big contracts on the defensive side of the ball last offseason. The seven touchdowns allowed into his coverage this past season were tied for second-most of any cornerback in the league. Seattle Seahawks: Ahkello Witherspoon, D.J. Changing that and successfully developing Okudah and Melifonwu will be crucial to this secondary climbing out of the cellar. via Seth Galina. With the defense surrounding the young CB, he could easily be higher on the list heading into next season. While it wasn't easy putting together this list, here is our ranking of the NFL's 10 best cornerbacks in 2022. Nonetheless, this year's class doesn't boast a marquee, Denzel Ward or Jalen Ramsey type bound to land inside the top five. The two worst cornerbacks in the league were forced into action because of injuries. The 2021 second-round pick is a valuable piece to this secondary moving forward, but the other cornerback spots need some work. Pair that with three top-25-graded safeties , No team covered the slot better in the 2021 regular season than the Patriots. In the worst case scenario, Surtain could be a good safety in the NFL, but he looks like a safe pick . His 71.5 overall grade in 2020 was his highest single-season mark since back in 2017 with the Broncos. Lattimore possesses everything you could want in a cornerback. 9: 10: 5: 15: 0.0: 0: 0: 0: 0: 0: 0: 0: . 2022 NFL Cornerback Rankings. 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. From Week 7 on, he was one of the 25 highest-graded players at the position and allowed more than 60 yards in coverage just once this season. The top cornerbacks for 2022 are all established stars who are all playing some of the best football of their careers. The Detroit Lions were, by most metrics, the worst defensive team in the NFL last year and they probably won't be much better . 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. Find out which wide receivers to upgrade, downgrade and avoid for Week 1 in fantasy football by using a full cheat sheet that breaks down every WR vs. CB matchup. 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. Terrell has flashed the ability to become one of the truly . Pittsburgh also went from second to 29th in passer rating allowed on deep targets year over year. 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. And Peters ranks tied for fifth at the position in pass breakups (52) over that same time frame. His goal is not to make it so a quarterback doesnt want to throw the ball his way. After a broken-up pass against Wake Forest in 2016, he, . However, I prefer to look at this exercise as a nod of respect toward the top cornerbacks in the NFL for the 2021 season. Check out the 2021 NFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics including AFC and NFC results and standings on Pro-football-reference.com Ranking who the top 32 cornerbacks in the NFL are for 2021 is like trying to rank your children. Buffalos secondary endured a crushing blow in Week 12 when CB1. 11. Nickel Ronald Darby (37.8) and free-agent signing Kyle Fuller (40.3), inexplicably released by the Chicago Bears, each ranked in the top seven in burn percentage allowed for corners with at least 200 coverage snaps. Darius Slay, Philadelphia Eagles His addition, along with the signing of Joe Haden, helped stabilize a turbulent cornerback position in Pittsburgh over these last two seasons. Carolina ranked 24th in outside coverage grade and allowed the fourth-worst passer rating to the outside (107.8). The Vikings' gave up the third-most yards on the outside (1,802) while also tying for the third-fewest plays on the ball (18) at the position. He still showcases lockdown man-coverage ability at times, but it has been less consistent of late. 90-81. Jackson is fluid and explosive with great natural feet to play a sticky brand of man coverage. As a result, Diggs' coverage grade rang in just above the 50th percentile among cornerbacks. Terrell locked up his opponents on a weekly basis, allowing no more than 32 yards in a single game this year. Their team slot coverage grade ended up multiple grading points higher than any other NFL franchise. He recorded coverage grades of at least 72.0 in each of his first three seasons in the league and has allowed just 51.4% of the passes thrown into his coverage to be completed. . Devon Witherspoon is a player who has had the best production throughout 2022 and has been simply elite while . PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Verrett exceeded all expectations in his return from a string of injuries last season for San Francisco. The ability to limit production like Ramsey did against top-flight talent is invaluable for the Los Angeles Rams defense. T.J. Green has played because of . Heck, he played more snaps in the slot in 2020 than he did on the outside! Not a single one of Dallas' top eight defensive backs by snaps earned a coverage grade in poor territory below 60.0. Jun 5, 2021 5:19 PM EDT. The top cornerback room? Minnesota put forth some of the worst cornerback play in the NFL. If that remains the case, Buffalos secondary should stay among the best in the league even with only marginal improvements made by his teammates. . His aggression will burn him on occasion, but you cant say that Peters doesnt make up for it with the positives he brings to the table. That mark was also good for fourth-best at the position in the 2021 regular season. He returns to the field in 2022, a huge boost . 28. He led the position in interceptions (11), yards allowed (1,026) and penalties (11) this regular season. 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. Those missed opportunities only make the 77.5 passer rating allowed over that span (13th in the NFL) more impressive. 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. Houston might want to think about using its No. We use our own and third-party cookies to improve your experience and our services. Darious Williams, Los Angeles Rams 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. This week, were evaluating defensive backs. It just wasnt all there for him in 2020. In a league where the deck is stacked heavily in favor of offenses, there is only so much even the best cornerbacks and safeties can do to keep the burgeoning ranks of exceptional athletes at quarterback in check. 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. The Vikings' gave up the third-most yards on the outside (1,802) while also tying for the third-fewest plays on the ball (18) at the position. 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 . Still, they held up well, ranking sixth in coverage grade and second in EPA per pass play allowed on such plays. Projections: Offensive rookies. If Lattimores career was flipped in reverse order, theres a reasonable chance that he would be inside the top five on this list. They ranked dead last in slot coverage grade following the regular season. Episode 2 of the "Top 100 Players of 2022" aired on Sunday, with three cornerbacks making the list between Nos. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. 27. If he can replicate that impact as a rookie, the Raiders should be in extremely good shape in the defensive backfield. Ranking the top NFL Cornerback contracts and salaries in the NFL Taron Johnson, Buffalo Bills 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 Seahawks appear to be banking on Ahkello Witherspoon making a leap he never managed with the San Francisco 49ers. As you can probably expect, the quarterbacks are at the top and there are plenty of wide receivers. Nickel Byron Murphys burn yards per target average of 7.50 was the fifth-best among inside corners in 2020 and Budda Baker has established himself as one of the premier safeties in the NFL, with his adjusted open percentage of 16.38 trailing only three defenders last season. The NFL's top 11 safeties. If you built a cornerback in a lab, they would look like Ramsey. After a broken-up pass against Wake Forest in 2016, he pranced behind the unsuspecting receiver in a manner Ive never witnessed. 10. Having an elite cornerback who is capable of traveling with an opposing team's top receiving threat, such as Jalen Ramsey, can take pressure off other players in the secondary.