And star cornerback Jalen Ramsey is a huge reason why. 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. Discover Next Gen Stats News, Charts, and Statistics. A.J. Jackson was one of the five highest-graded outside cornerbacks in the NFL and allowed the second-fewest yards per coverage snap at the position. Health remains the biggest concern for Verrett heading into next season. Theres a reason he has received plenty of interest since his release. 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. Ranking the 11 worst plays of the 2021 NFL regular season. The Pro Bowl free safety will have an exciting mix of experience and youth alongside him. Free-agent signing William Jackson III was an up-and-down performer. Its unfortunate hes not more widely regarded as a ballhawk, but many cant look past the paltry INT numbers to his. But certain units . 1. 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. The cornerback room was more in the middle of the pack, ranking 16th in PFF WAR generated. Quarterback Josh Allen, cornerback Tre'Davious White, wide receiver . Humphreys seamless inside-outside versatility is a big reason why he ranks so highly here. The Raiders defensive backs rank seventh for aggregate coverage, rating 10% better than the average. Rankings&Projections |WR/CB Matchup Chart |NFL & NCAA Betting Dashboards | NFL Player Props Tool | NFL & NCAA Power Rankings Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. Hes slimmer, and with that lack of cumbersome muscle, hes more efficiently able to transition and stick. Jun 5, 2021 5:19 PM EDT. Its part of what makes identifying the leagues best at the position so challenging. Cornerback Trevon Diggs has been possibly the biggest boom-or-bust cornerback of the PFF era. Data modeling by Kyle Cunningham-Rhoads. Hes a wide receiver baiting quarterbacks into throwing passes that he can jump. The Jets might have the best group of cornerbacks in the NFL a far cry from 2021, when they might have had the worst. Fuller was back in Washington for the 2020 season following a two-year stint in Kansas City. They were among the five least valuable secondaries in the league, and the cornerback room, in particular, finished as the second-lowest graded group. Nelson ranks among the top 10 cornerbacks in the league in both completion rate allowed (53.9%) and passer rating allowed (75.1) among 68 players at the position to see at least 100 targets since 2019. 2021 stats: 11 games (11 starts), 1 INT, 6 PBUs, 1 FF, 1 FR, 0.5 sacks, 41 combined tackles (27 solo). 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. Hes one of the few thatll travel anywhere on the defense to cover an offenses best weapon. Patrick Surtain II, Alabama. The slot was also a considerable issue all year long, as Chicago produced the sixth-worst coverage grade at the position this season. Reed and Tre . 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. Ive already written my story on Trevon Diggs. Who led the NFL in receiving in 2021? Darious Williams, Los Angeles Rams He was 10th in the NFL at his position in adjusted open percentage (21.58). 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. 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. The 6-foot-2, 202-pounder earned a few poor game grades early on, but he soon righted those wrongs. Terrell has flashed the ability to become one of the truly . White does a fantastic job of toeing the line between aggressive and reckless. 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. 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 NFC East was a historically bad division in 2020, which is why all four teams were in the race deep into the 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. This is not a forward-looking list, nor is it considering what a group accomplished prior to this season. The defense endured blows at multiple position groups, including in the secondary with Marcus Peters (torn ACL in the preseason) and Marlon Humphrey (torn pectoral in Week 13). 18. We often bring up the difficult coverage assignments that No. After trading Matthew Stafford in 2021 and T.J. Hockenson at the trade deadline last year, the Lions have five picks in the top 81 selections of this year's NFL Draft, including picks No. Okudah allowed the offense to gain +1.0 EPA on 43.2 percent of his targets in coverage, the worst rate in the league . As the teams big free-agent acquisition at the position, Griffin does bring plenty of experience for a younger player. Detroits defensive backs aggregate coverage grade is 27% below average. His goal is not to make it so a quarterback doesnt want to throw the ball his way. Donte Jackson, Carolina Panthers Hill had his best seasons in LA . He grew up in . Still, the Saints defense was great last season and has continued to be so in 2021. . Demario Davis 6634. Williams earned coverage grades above 81.0 in each of the last two years and made some remarkable plays on the ball in coverage in Brandon Staleys defense in 2020. Rhodes went from allowing a league-high 84.3% of the passes into his coverage to be completed in 2019 to just 50.7% in 2020 with Indianapolis. Henderson. Its impossible to discuss what Peters brings to the table and not start with his knack for getting his hands on the football, as his 31 interceptions since entering the league in 2015 are nine more than any other cornerback. 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. Galina: The shortcomings of the Kellen Moore-Dak Prescott connection for the Dallas Cowboys So this is one of the worst cornerback trios in the NFL, not just the NFC West. The lack of talent and experience was apparent, especially without safety Marcus Maye, who ruptured his Achilles midway through the season. So, which secondaries were a boon and which were a hindrance this season? targeted, which leads to his interceptions. His 71.5 overall grade in 2020 was his highest single-season mark since back in 2017 with the Broncos. 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. No team covered the slot better in the 2021 regular season than the Patriots. 2022 NFL Cornerback Rankings. Hes picked off nine passes over the past three seasons, and that total should be even higher, as Hadens nine dropped interceptions since 2018 are tied for the most at the position. 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. 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. Despite that, the Buccaneers outside cornerbacks still combined for the highest unit coverage grade in the NFL. At his advancing age, two underwhelming seasons in a row would be a strong signal to sell him in these cornerback rankings moving forward. What do you want out of your elite cornerback? The Vikings invested heavily in the secondary in recent years and the numbers suggest that decision could pay dividends in the coming season. 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. worst 2021 cornerback 2021. worst 2021 cornerback 2021. Which teams have the best -- and worst -- running back units? Jones matched his interception total across the first five seasons of his career last year with Miami, but it was his worst season from a production allowed standpoint since making the switch to cornerback 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. Will Harris at least had an admirable 2020 at strong safety, finishing third among all safeties in burn yards per target (7). 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. Injuries held him to just over 300 snaps for San Francisco last season, but Sherman was the highest-graded cornerback in the league (90.3 overall) back in 2019. None of their cornerbacks had a quality campaign, but Bashaud Breeland who was waived in mid-December was the main reason for the outside struggles. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS. 32. Casey Hayward, Las Vegas Raiders Terrell locked up his opponents on a weekly basis, allowing no more than 32 yards in a single game this year. 27. The Eagles aren't the best NFC East team on paper. Lavonte David 6943. 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. All 259 picks have been made and the 2021 NFL Draft is officially in the books for all 32 franchises. 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. 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. It shouldnt come as a shock if he wins that starting job and rebounds from a down 2020 season. Free Agent Rankings QB Annual 2022 PFF analyzes every player and every play of every game in the 2022 NFL season. Houston Texans: Whitney Mercilus, OLB. 4 . 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. 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. The Broncos head into 2021 with questions still abounding over their quarterbacks, but there is no doubt they have a championship-caliber defense, of which the secondary looks to be the strength. The Lions have done a disappointing job of drafting and developing talent under previous regimes. . 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. Cross died in 2021. Jones allowed 1.4 yards per coverage snap . 1. 8 forced fumbles in 2020. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs. If he can replicate that impact as a rookie, the Raiders should be in extremely good shape in the defensive backfield. Hes one of the few thatll travel anywhere on the defense to cover an offenses best weapon. 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). Two free-agent signings, in particular Chidobe Awuzie and Mike Hilton have helped them get there. 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. The Bills defensive backs rank 15 points above the average in aggregate coverage grading. But from the slot, the Seahawks' coverage unit was a bit of a nightmare. 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. 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. 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. Top 25 cornerbacks in the NFL. Top 32 cornerbacks in the NFL for the 2021 season | 1-10. He ranks top 10 in both slot and outside coverage grade. It eventually got so bad that they had to move Will Harris from safety to outside corner and were forced to play 2021 undrafted cornerbacks AJ Parker and Jerry Jacobs for more than 300 coverage snaps. 11. I still expect a lot from Stephon Gilmore, and with those expectations will come quick criticism if he doesnt perform to his standards. Hes intelligent and has ideal size and athleticism. Nelson was another surprise release by a team strapped for salary cap space. 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