worst cornerbacks in the nfl 2021
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. 3 overall pick Jeffrey Okudah in Week 1 for the year with a ruptured Achilles. Pro Football Network strives to passionately deliver purposeful, captivating, and exceptional football content. The slot was also a considerable issue all year long, as Chicago produced the sixth-worst coverage grade at the position this season. We rank all 32 teams in 10 different position groups, plus we offer an overall roster outlook. The position as a whole combined for the third-fewest WAR among the 32 groups. . Will Harris at least had an admirable 2020 at strong safety, finishing third among all safeties in burn yards per target (7). 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. 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. They were among the five least valuable secondaries in the league, and the cornerback room, in particular, finished as the second-lowest graded group. 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. In 2019 and 2020, for instance, he played more in the slot than out wide. And even he had a volatile season with a 60.5 coverage grade. Thats a tip of the cap to everyone in the secondary for stepping up, including 2020 seventh-rounder, Tampa Bay dealt with a pile of injuries and COVID-19 in their cornerback room for most of the season, forcing the team to cycle through players. No team, this season than Baltimore. But Las Vegas can afford to have confidence in the secondary going into 2021. Despite that, the Buccaneers outside cornerbacks still combined for the highest unit coverage grade in the NFL. The top 2021 Cornerback prospects available for the 2021 NFL Draft. Published: Oct 20, 2022 at 03:19 PM . Washington possessed one of the better defenses in the NFL in 2020;Jacksons addition should only improve it, giving them a No. Minnesota put forth some of the worst cornerback play in the NFL. The NFL in 2014 settled a class action lawsuit with retired . Meanwhile, Bashaud Breeland, another free agency signing, was tied fifth in open percentage (52.7) among corners to have played at least 200 coverage snaps. His 75.8 coverage grade in 2020 ranked 15th among all qualifying cornerbacks across the league, and he was called for just two penalties all year. 24. 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). However, Miamis cornerback really blossomed in 2020, intercepting a league-high 10 passes. Tampas secondary arguably already took a step forward as the Buccaneers claimed their second Super Bowl title last season. Things got off to a rough start when the Lions lost 2020 No. The Jets might have the best group of cornerbacks in the NFL a far cry from 2021, when they might have had the worst. In both 2019 and 2020, he recorded a pressure rate below 9% (per SIS Datahub). 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. 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. Its worth pointing out that Slay frequently draws the opposing teams top receiving option in single coverage, and his 97 single coverage targets over the past two seasons is a top-five mark at the position. There is no shortage of defensive weapons on Clevelands roster. Heck, he played more snaps in the slot in 2020 than he did on the outside! worst 2021 cornerback. Opposing quarterbacks netted a 71.8 passer rating when throwing at one of Clevelands outside cornerbacks this season, the lowest among the 32 defenses. Who led the NFL in receiving in 2021? White is right there with Howard as one of the best playmaking cornerbacks in the league. Eventually, Washington took it. He has been one of the best run defenders (88.5 run-defense grade in five seasons with the Vikings) at the position since entering the league in 2015. Hes a unicorn playing cornerback in a world of 511, 190-pound movers, and we dont acknowledge that enough. 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. His goal is not to make it so a quarterback doesnt want to throw the ball his way. 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. Outside corner D.J. 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. He remains among the league leaders in targets, and with that comes the yards. TreDavious White has been one of the top cornerbacks in the league since the minute he stepped on an NFL field. Tampa Bay dealt with a pile of injuries and COVID-19 in their cornerback room for most of the season, forcing the team to cycle through players. He also ranks in at least the 87th percentile in coverage grades at both alignments. 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. 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. 9: 10: 5: 15: 0.0: 0: 0: 0: 0: 0: 0: 0: . Dean allowed a burn on 30 of his 64 targets, his percentage of 46.9 comfortably better than the average of 52.8 for corners with at least 200 coverage snaps. Fuller was back in Washington for the 2020 season following a two-year stint in Kansas City. 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. No cornerback in the league has been more productive on passes 20 or more yards downfield over that span. 1 cornerback who will allow them to play more man coverage if they desire. Even with the big plays allowed early in the season, quarterbacks have just a 68.1 rating when targeting Lattimore this season. Jackson is fluid and explosive with great natural feet to play a sticky brand of man coverage. Williams is Denver's long-term answer at running back . NFC West teams gained even more firepower at the quarterback position in a dramatic offseason, magnifying the issues for a Seattle secondary that is a long way from the Legion of Boom. This group should contend for the top spot next season. NFL Player Grades. 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. Cross, who was 81 when he died Feb. 28, 2021, suffered from stage 4 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Boston University researchers said Tuesday. 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. Steven Nelson, Philadelphia Eagles Awuzie was the second-highest graded cornerback of the regular season, while Hilton was the seventh-highest graded slot corner in coverage. Hes intelligent and has ideal size and athleticism. March 1, 2023 7:01 am ET. Five rosters still have more questions than answers, which makes these teams the worst the NFL has to offer as they prepare for the 2021 campaign. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. 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 Packers signed veteran Rasul Douglas midseason, and he far surpassed expectations with a 76.5 coverage grade. Casey Hayward, Las Vegas Raiders Slay will look to rebound under a new coaching staff and get back to making plays on the ball after ranking second in the league in forced incompletions (75) across his seven years in Detroit. 4-overall prospect). 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. T. Washington: 7-9. Data modeling by Kyle Cunningham-Rhoads. 19. KEY: Gms = Games Played, Tot Pts = Total Points Scored, Pts/G = Points Per Game, RushYds = Rushing Yards, RYds/G = Rushing Yards Per Game . 11. From Week 7 on, he was one of the 25 highest-graded cornerbacks in the NFL. TreDavious Whites continuing success is a reason for that, as the two-time Pro Bowler first among all cornerbacks in adjusted open percentage allowed (16.20%) in 2020. Rookie Tyson Campbell was a reason for optimism, as he notched a couple of elite game grades above 90.0 in his last couple of months of action, but his inconsistent play was too severe for him to add considerable value to the secondary. Only two cornerbacks gave up a big play in coverage more regularly than Okudah, who did so on 43.9% of his targets. . 18. Using advanced data, weve ranked every secondary in the NFL by their performance in pass coverage. The Rams' pass-defense unit regressed some from 2020, but make no mistake: This is still an above-average group. Still, they held up well, ranking sixth in coverage grade and second in EPA per pass play allowed on such plays. Having let Shaquill Griffin walk in free agency, the Seahawks are somewhat short on proven players in the defensive backfield, with that scarcity reflected by an aggregate coverage grade 16% below average. Houston Texans: Whitney Mercilus, OLB. 32. 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. While Pittsburgh ranked in the top 10 in EPA allowed per pass play for the season, they struggled quite a bit when not producing pressure on the quarterback. 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. Devon Witherspoon is a player who has had the best production throughout 2022 and has been simply elite while . 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. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. As I said in last week's Schein Nine, NFL offenses are more creative and dynamic than ever before. 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. Rookie Patrick Surtain II also showed a lot of promise and looks like a star in the making. Awuzie was the second-highest graded cornerback of the regular season, while Hilton was the seventh-highest graded slot corner in coverage. 1 cornerback in the league heading into the 2020 season, fresh off a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2019. Return to Top; Players. According to PFF WAR, the veteran corner was the sixth-most valuable cornerback in the league over the 2015, 2017 and 2018 seasons. 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. Hell still give up a big play here and there (as his yards per reception allowed shows), but thats the nature of being an aggressive cornerback. 2022 season/2023 NFL Draft outlook. Yet, despite praise for Antoine Winfield Jrs rookie year, both he and fellow starting safety Jordan Whitehead will hope to make improvements in coverage, having given up 11.33 and 12.32 burn yards per target, respectively. Health remains the biggest concern for Verrett heading into next season. I wouldnt have any issue calling White the best cornerback in football if Ramsey and Alexander didnt exist. Witherspoon allowed a burn on half of his 28 targets last season. He returns to the field in 2022, a huge boost . 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. 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. The former Samford Bulldog put up one of the better performances of any cornerback in the league against Allen Robinson II, allowing just one reception on six targets with three pass breakups and an interception in that Week 2 matchup. His PFF grade dropped from 90.0 from 2014 to 2018 in Detroit to just 59.5 across the last two years. 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. 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 . 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. With their help, the Raiders ranked top five in yards per attempt and explosive pass rate allowed this year. Hes slimmer, and with that lack of cumbersome muscle, hes more efficiently able to transition and stick. 30. Quarterback Josh Allen, cornerback Tre'Davious White, wide receiver . 2020 Points-Allowed Rank: No. But it's easy to know who the favorite is. The two worst cornerbacks in the league were forced into action because of injuries. Theres a reason he has received plenty of interest since his release. 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