Pat Surtain II, Derek Stingley Jr., Denzel Ward Top NFL CB Rankings by Coaches, Execs

After winning Defensive Player of the Year last season, Pat Surtain II is regarded as the best cornerback in the NFL going into 2025.

The Denver Broncos star topped the cornerback rankings in a survey of coaches, scouts and executives across the NFL conducted by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

ESPN Top 10 CB Rankings

1. Pat Surtain II, Denver Broncos
2. Derek Stingley Jr., Houston Texans
3. Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns
4. Trent McDuffie, Kansas City Chiefs
5. Sauce Gardner, New York Jets
6. Christian Gonzalez, New England Patriots
7. Jaycee Horn, Carolina Panthers
8. Jaylon Johnson, Chicago Bears
9. Quinyon Mitchell, Philadelphia Eagles
10. Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks

Surtain is coming off one of the best seasons by a cornerback in recent history. The 25-year-old had 11 pass breakups and tied his career-high with four interceptions to help the Broncos finish third in points allowed per game.

As the nearest coverage defender, Surtain allowed a total of 306 yards in 16 games. His single-game high was 45 yards given up to the Cincinnati Bengals.

"You bring pressure as a defense and he can handle it all," one coordinator told Fowler in praise of Surtain. "Technician. Doesn't get bored doing it the right way. Extremely patient and big. Can affect a lot of things with technique and speed and is always in control."

Surtain became just the second cornerback since 2011 to win Defensive Player of the Year, joining Stephon Gilmore (2019).

The race to determine the best cornerback from the 2022 draft has shifted all the way toward Derek Stingley Jr. now. Sauce Gardner was in complete control right out of the gate, earning All-Pro first-team selections in each of his first two seasons.

Last season saw Stingley catch up and surpass Gardner in the race. He allowed a league-best 4.9 yards per target and recorded a career-high 18 pass breakups.

Since the start of the 2023 season, Stingley's 10 interceptions are tied for fourth-most among all players. One NFC personnel evaluator told Fowler that Stingley has the "best ball skills" of any defensive back in the league.

"Some of the INTs and tracking the ball in the air, it's rare. That pick against Tyreek [Hill], 99% of DBs in league aren't making that play," the evaluator said.

Despite being the elder statesman on the list at 28 years old, Denzel Ward continues to play at a high level for the Cleveland Browns. The four-time Pro Bowler led the league with 19 pass breakups in 2024.

Ward does have a high-risk, high-reward playing style. Fowler noted he ranked first among all cornerbacks with 26.4 percent ball-hawking rate, but he also allowed 10.1 yards per target.

Looking at the list for potential rising stars in 2025, Christian Gonzalez and Quinyon Mitchell both stand out. Gonzalez received at least one first-place vote in Fowler's survey after being able to play 16 games in 2024 following an injury-plagued rookie year.

Mitchell was entrusted to be a starter as a rookie for the Philadelphia Eagles in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's scheme. He responded with 12 pass breakups and finishing second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting to Jared Verse.