The slot was also a considerable issue all year long, as Chicago produced the sixth-worst coverage grade at the position this season. increasing that usage from 21 percent in 2021 (29th in NFL . Davis and Dean form one of the best cornerback pairings in the NFL. With more than 20 pending free agents, the front office will have a lot of work to do. Shaquill Griffin, Jacksonville Jaguars 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. The Vikings invested heavily in the secondary in recent years and the numbers suggest that decision could pay dividends in the coming season. The 6-foot-2, 202-pounder earned a few poor game grades early on, but he soon righted those wrongs. Eric Kendricks 639 # . 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. That is how much top-end cornerback play there is in the NFL. Congratulations, Arizona. 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. 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. Opposite him for most of the season was Kindle Vildor, who posted a 45.6 coverage grade that ranked in the bottom five in the NFL. Obviously, this is a subjective endeavor, and we could argue for days about the names that are too high or too low. 1 cornerback in the league heading into the 2020 season, fresh off a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2019. Free safety Bobby McCain also played a role in the Football Team not being in the bottom tier, snagging four interceptions and breaking up five passes en route to a 72.6 coverage grade. Hes one of the few thatll travel anywhere on the defense to cover an offenses best weapon. Meanwhile, McKinney ranked in the top 10 in coverage grade among safeties. In 2017, Slay led the league in interceptions and . March 1, 2023 7:01 am ET. Wards dominance in single coverage (96th percentile grade since 2018) has been particularly noteworthy. 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. Tampas secondary arguably already took a step forward as the Buccaneers claimed their second Super Bowl title last season. Minnesotas defensive backs rank 10th in aggregate coverage rating, performing 5% better than average. That pairing will be joined by arguably the premier corner from this years draft class, Patrick Surtain II, who makes the step up to the league after a stellar college career with Alabama, which he ended by helping the Crimson Tide to a National Championship and allowing 0.93 burn yards per snap. 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. Patrick Surtain II, Alabama. Reed, provided some grounds for optimism as his burn yards . Eventually, Washington took it. With the help of PFFs advanced database which is used by all 32 NFL teams we'll rank all 32 NFL secondaries from the 2021 regular season. His 3,546 regular-season defensive snaps over the past four seasons are a top-10 mark at the position. 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 finished with the lowest slot coverage grade in the NFL. He led the position in interceptions (11), yards allowed (1,026) and penalties (11) this regular season. Who led the NFL in receiving in 2021? Safeties Harrison Smith (13.13) and Xavier Woods (16.33 at free safety) also struggled in that metric in 2020 but the pressure will be taken off that pair should their top three corners live up to expectations. 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. The low-level play ultimately led to his benching by the seasons end. Jun 5, 2021 5:19 PM EDT. Ward was one of the first to fit the new modern mold of NFL cornerback. 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. There is a perception that Shermans better days are behind him, but entering his age-33 season, there is still plenty of room for Sherman to take a step back and still be one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL. Pro Football Network, LLC. And he only got better as the season progressed. Reed, provided some grounds for optimism as his burn yards per target average of 8.21 put him 15th among corners with at least 200 coverage snaps. The Bengals' pass coverage finished the regular season as the seventh-most improved group year over year in terms of EPA allowed per pass. 11. 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. 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. Jackson missed the majority of the 2020 season with a lingering knee injury, but he profiled as one of the most promising young cornerbacks in the league before last year, fresh off a career-high 82.5 coverage grade in 2019. There is a massive amount of talent currently at the position. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Ranking The Top 20 Cornerbacks in the NFL 2021Top 20 NFL CB in 2021NFL Cornerback Rankings before the 2021 NFL SeasonTop 20 Corners according to MitchMitch o. Only one defensive back nickel cornerback Tavierre Thomas didnt produce a sub-60.0 coverage grade. The Seahawks appear to be banking on Ahkello Witherspoon making a leap he never managed with the San Francisco 49ers. 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. 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. 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. worst 2021 cornerback. Hes going up against each teams best receiver, shadowing them around the field. It shouldnt be a surprise that the group finished with one of the three-lowest unit coverage grades of the year. 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. Jacksons grading profile has been consistent across his first three seasons in the NFL after joining New England as an undrafted free agent in 2018. His numbers have taken a slight hit in the two years since, but Fuller is coming off a solid 70.2 coverage grade in 2020. He should give the Broncos some playmaking ability at cornerback if he can stay healthy. 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. 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. Hes one of the more impactful free agents still on the market. If you built a cornerback in a lab, they would look like Ramsey. But from the slot, the Seahawks' coverage unit was a bit of a nightmare. 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. NFL quarterback rankings 2021. 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. So this is one of the worst cornerback trios in the NFL, not just the NFC West. Nelson was another surprise release by a team strapped for salary cap space. Washington possessed one of the better defenses in the NFL in 2020;Jacksons addition should only improve it, giving them a No. 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. 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 . With their help, the Raiders ranked top five in yards per attempt and explosive pass rate allowed this year. Ranking top 10 cornerbacks in NFL for 2021: Jalen Ramsey leads pack that includes talented newcomers . 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. 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. Carlton Davis, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 16. Cornerback Charvarius Ward was also playing exceptionally better after missing a month due to injury. Prior to landing his big-money extension in 2020, not many truly understood White's value to . What do you want out of your elite cornerback? He returns to the field in 2022, a huge boost . 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. Safety Jayron Kearse was the highest-graded defensive back on the roster, due in large part to his strong tackling. Cross died in 2021. The hope for Miami will be that he gets back toward the player who earned a five-year, $82.5 million contract last offseason. Home About Shop . Opposing quarterbacks netted a 71.8 passer rating when throwing at one of Clevelands outside cornerbacks this season, the lowest among the 32 defenses. Only three Power 5 defenders gave up fewer. Fuller was back in Washington for the 2020 season following a two-year stint in Kansas City. The official start of NFL free agency doesn't begin until March 13. Health remains the biggest concern for Verrett heading into next season. 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. 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. Brian Poole, New York Jets. 29. 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. Since 2017, he has forced more incompletions on passes 20-plus yards downfield (18) than he has receptions allowed (14). 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. 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. 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. Contract: three years, $18.6 million. 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. 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