Cross, the former NFL defensive back who became the first Black man to work full-time as a sports analyst on national television, is the latest football player diagnosed with the brain disease CTE. It hasnt taken Alexander very long to establish himself as one of the leagues best coverage cornerbacks. 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 . The 6-foot-2, 202-pounder earned a few poor game grades early on, but he soon righted those wrongs. Two of Indianapolis' outside cornerbacks earned top-20 coverage grades this season: The Broncos' secondary underwhelmed to a certain extent in 2021, with veteran safety, Cornerback was a major area of concern for the Cardinals. 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. 3 overall pick, The Jets four most-played cornerbacks on the outside or slot this year were either Day 3 picks or undrafted in one of the past two classes. MORE: The 10 most intriguing prospects in the 2023 NFL draft class. Adoree Jackson, New York Giants 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. Hes one of the few thatll travel anywhere on the defense to cover an offenses best weapon. 1 wide receiver in man coverage. So, which secondaries were a boon and which were a hindrance this season? 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. Im not entirely sure why hes playing such a high volume of his 2021 snaps in the slot, but it certainly isnt hurting his case as the best cornerback in football. The Bengals handed out two big contracts on the defensive side of the ball last offseason. * - denotes 2022 prospect. Hes slimmer, and with that lack of cumbersome muscle, hes more efficiently able to transition and stick. The Rank value requires a minimum number of snaps played. Instead, hes heading in the wrong direction. Kenny Moore II, Indianapolis Colts13. The Jets four most-played cornerbacks on the outside or slot this year were either Day 3 picks or undrafted in one of the past two classes. Butler allowed the 10th-most burn yards per snap among corners with at least 200 coverage snaps (2.42) while Alford has not played since the 2018 season. 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. Terrell. He gets his hands on passes left and right without getting himself so out of position that hes unable to recover. The 2023 corner class doesn't hold any superstars like last year's Sauce Gardner but it still has a number of quality pro prospects with five having close to first-round grades on them. 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. Sign Up. Jackson hasnt quite reached those lofty heights in the three years since, but he is coming off his best statistical season since 2017, with just 52% of the passes into his coverage being completed in 2020. 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. Ahmad Gardner, Cincinnati . Reed Jr. and safety Quandre Diggs were two of Seattle's bright spots. And Peters ranks tied for fifth at the position in pass breakups (52) over that same time frame. If that happens and J.C. Jackson progresses, they could solidify themselves with a gold medal there. His 17.3% forced incompletion rate ranks second among cornerbacks who have seen at least 100 targets over those two years. 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. Rankings&Projections |WR/CB Matchup Chart |NFL & NCAA Betting Dashboards | NFL Player Props Tool | NFL & NCAA Power Rankings Rhodes will look to continue to build on that success on another one-year deal with the team in 2021. So this is one of the worst cornerback trios in the NFL, not just the NFC West. 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. Terrell was actually the second-highest graded cornerback in coverage in the 2021 regular season, behind only Jalen Ramsey. Hayward has been one of the highest-graded cornerbacks in the league for much of his career, spanning across time spent with both the Packers and the Los Angeles Chargers. It doesnt hurt that Washington can feel comfortable playing him at multiple positions in their secondary, either. 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. 5. (Gary Cosby Jr./. Personally, I want a guy who travels up and down the field on an assignment basis against the opposing teams best receivers. Jones allowed 1.4 yards per coverage snap with Miami in 2020 double his 0.7 yards per coverage snap average across the 2018 and 2019 seasons in Dallas. Byron Murphy, Arizona Cardinals12. 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. His technical inconsistencies are the only thing keeping him from being among that next tier up. 3 overall pick on a defensive back like Derek Stingley Jr. (PFFs No. Copyright 2019-2023. Nickel corner Sean Murphy-Bunting also did a decent job at preventing big plays, conceding eight on 44 targets on the inside. 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. 25. 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. His 71 forced incompletions since 2014 are fewer than only Darius Slay and Stephon Gilmore. Quarterback Josh Allen, cornerback Tre'Davious White, wide receiver . 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. 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. The 49ers brought in veteran Josh Norman out of necessity at the start of the season, and it didnt go well. Cross, who was 81 when he died Feb. 28, 2021, suffered from stage 4 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Boston University researchers said Tuesday. Tennessees loss has turned into the Giants gain. I simply wont acknowledge any Jalen Ramsey disrespect in this dojo. Cornerback Adoree Jackson and safety Xavier McKinney helped claw this secondary to a No. The newly minted Super Bowl champion is not only the top cornerback in the NFL, but also one of the best football players, period . William Jackson III, Washington Football Team Yet, there were signs this group is primed to make further progress in 2021, most of which came from starting corner Jamel Dean. And there are a couple of surprise names feature among those secondaries who look ready to take a leap in 2021. 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. The amount of top-level play from NFL cornerbacks is astonishing. 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. Carlton Davis, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 16. Slot corner Mackensie Alexanders down season didnt help matters, either. We're ranking the division by position group. All 259 picks have been made and the 2021 NFL Draft is officially in the books for all 32 franchises. 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. NFL's Next Gen Stats captures real time location data, speed and acceleration for every player, every play on every inch of the field. Rookie Eric Stokes stepped up and grew into his role as the season wore on. Strong safety Kareem Jackson was ninth among all players at the position in burn yards per target allowed with 7.76. 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. The top 2021 Cornerback prospects available for the 2021 NFL Draft. 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. And yet, the Bills still sustained a top-five pass defense in terms of expected points added (EPA) allowed per pass down the final stretch of the 2021 regular season. Greedy Williams, Cleveland Browns They ranked dead last in slot coverage grade following the regular season. Cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon . . Holland was the highest-graded safety since Week 9 by over four grading points. NFL Player Grades. 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. But from the slot, the Seahawks' coverage unit was a bit of a nightmare. Were taking a look at the best and worst units in football at each positional grouping. The Patriots did what the Patriots always do they traded (or cut) a player thats still near the top of his game, but is beginning to walk down the hill. Unfortunately for Detroit, one of those corners is now on their roster. They made a league-leading 23 plays on the ball from the slot en route to allowing the lowest passer rating (71.1). Pro Football Network strives to passionately deliver purposeful, captivating, and exceptional football content. The steady veteran presence that he should bring will be important for a secondary that will likely start two cornerbacks under the age of 24 alongside him. 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. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs. Detroits secondary has been problematic over the past few years, and it didnt get any better in Year 1 under Dan Campbell. Cornerback Charvarius Ward was also playing exceptionally better after missing a month due to injury. Full Site Menu. Jalen Ramsey, Los Angeles Rams Here is PFF's 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. 12. Teams are afraid to throw at Surtain, and he has one of the lowest target totals among . Above-average press man cornerback with NFL bloodlines and a well-rounded but not spectacular all-around game. He had one of the highest forced incompletion rates in the league this past year with Washington one of several contributing factors to the multi-year deal that Denver offered him. His 3.2% missed tackle rate was the second-lowest among safeties. He has been tested more than any other cornerback in the league since 2019, with a league-high 197 targets, but Davis has come out on top on a lot of those plays. Top 25 cornerbacks in the NFL. Reader, yet neither made an impact last season due to injury. 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. Carolina ranked 24th in outside coverage grade and allowed the fourth-worst passer rating to the outside (107.8). 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. It shouldnt be a surprise that the group finished with one of the three-lowest unit coverage grades of the year. From Week 7 on, he was one of the 25 highest-graded cornerbacks in the NFL. He led the position in interceptions (11), yards allowed (1,026) and penalties (11) this regular season. Hes 61, 210 pounds, and his spider chart might as well have been colored in by a nine-year-old. Henderson. 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. Fuller is set to be reunited with Vic Fangio in Denver. 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. Pro Football Network, LLC. Fuller allowed just 53% of the passes into his coverage to be completed with four interceptions and nine pass breakups. 3 overall pick Jeffrey Okudah in Week 1 for the year with a ruptured Achilles. The league's inaugural 17-game season . Health remains the biggest concern for Verrett heading into next season. No, he was targeted often because of who was on the opposite side, and his ball skills shined in the process, recording 10 INTs in 2020. A few coverage lapses have led to big plays this year, but that happens in a scheme that relies on communication both pre- and post-snap. The Panthers get a physical and sticky man coverage cornerback who will be an interesting fit on an incredibly young defense. Their defensive backs aggregate coverage grade tops the league and is 17% above average, with two-time first-team All-Pro Jalen Ramsey (20.45%) and the underrated Darious Williams (21.60%) each in the top 15 among cornerbacks in adjusted open percentage allowed, which looks at how often a defender allows an opponent to get open when in coverage against them, adjusted for the position they play. Kansas City took Daniel Sorensen off the field while bringing back Juan Thornhill and increasing its rate of dime coverage. . Ramsey has been one of the best cornerbacks in the league since Jacksonville drafted him fifth overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. Howard is one of the best playmaking cornerbacks that the NFL has to offer. 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. (Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports) While Humphrey is also a top-tier outside cornerback, it's as a slot defender that he's really stood out in his NFL career. Rashad Fenton also saw his playing time increase after the first month of the season and closed out the regular season with an 81.1 coverage grade. Overall, Philadelphia's cornerback room finished second in coverage grade this season. Shaquill Griffin, Jacksonville Jaguars In both 2019 and 2020, he recorded a pressure rate below 9% (per SIS Datahub). Hill had his best seasons in LA . Only one defensive back nickel cornerback Tavierre Thomas didnt produce a sub-60.0 coverage grade. They consistently ranked near the bottom of the league in every metric imaginable, including defensive back PFF WAR generated: 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. Christian D'Andrea. 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. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. via Seth Galina. 4-overall prospect). The Raiders entered 2021 on a streak of arguably the worst defensive back play in the entire NFL. > 2021 NFL > Advanced Stats. However, their defensive backfield is only 15th in aggregate coverage rating, coming in 3% better than average. Brian Poole (not re-signed) was the only cornerback to hold opponents to negative EPA per target in 2020. . Best Bets Tool. Gilmore was comfortably the No. Kansas City's defense looked dead in the water after the first five weeks of the season. Jenkins has been about as consistent as they come over his nine-year career. 32. Hes a wide receiver baiting quarterbacks into throwing passes that he can jump. After a broken-up pass against Wake Forest in 2016, he, . To look exclusively at the secondary, the results for defenders who spend their playing time almost exclusively in the box have been filtered out. The lack of talent and experience was apparent, especially without safety Marcus Maye, who ruptured his Achilles midway through the season. 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. The seven touchdowns allowed into his coverage this past season were tied for second-most of any cornerback in the league. Despite that, the Buccaneers outside cornerbacks still combined for the highest unit coverage grade in the NFL. He was one of the league's worst corners by nearly every metric, which led to the new regime cutting him outright. With that being said, here are four bold predictions for the New Orleans Saints in the 2023 NFL offseason. The 2021 first-round pick was the lone Falcons defensive back to play 200 snaps and earn a PFF grade north of 60.0. On the bright side, Emmanuel Moseley played admirably with a 17.6% forced incompletion rate on the outside (ninth) and under a yard allowed per coverage snap this regular season. In veteran Josh Norman out of necessity at the best playmaking cornerbacks that the group finished with one the... Incompletion rate ranks second among cornerbacks who have seen at least 100 over... On an incredibly young defense hes one of the season rate ranks among... The passes into his coverage this past season were tied for fifth at the best of the lowest target among... ; 2021 NFL & gt ; 2021 NFL & gt ; Advanced Stats jenkins been. Feel comfortable playing him at multiple positions in their secondary, either happens J.C.! Than average it didnt get any better in year 1 under Dan Campbell x27 ; White! Can feel comfortable playing him at multiple positions in their secondary,.! 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Are four bold predictions for the highest unit coverage grades of the ball offseason... While bringing back Juan Thornhill and increasing its rate of dime coverage 210 pounds and.

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