NFL's Top 28 over 28: Defensive Backs
In the final installment of our 28 over 28 series, we will tackle the last untouched position group: defensive back. The defensive version of receivers, defensive backs often rely on their speed to play at a high level without hesitation, which makes it a young man's position.
With that being said, there are still plenty of functional defensive backs in the NFL playing well into their 30s. Again, we will be grading these players on a 100-point scale.
The most important skill defensive backs can possess is the ability to play man coverage, taking away everything from a slant to fade opportunities from pass-catchers. Playing solid man coverage means that you can survive while blitzing six defenders, which helps out a pass rush and the running game, one reason why it's our highest valued attribute with 30 points contributing to a player's score.
After man coverage, we have two skills that are each valued at 20 points a piece.
The first is run defense, as cornerbacks should never allow a back to get outside of them, especially in a Cover 2 or single-high safety defense, as they have direct run fits. The second is ball skills, as interceptions are the currency for defensive backs.
The third-tier skills, each valued at 15 points each, are zone defense and closing speed.
Zone defense is important, as it values how well defensive backs are at either staying on top of routes in the middle of the field, pattern match on the sideline, force releases near the line of scrimmage or float as Cover 3 players against two vertical routes to the same side. The term "zone corner" is a knock to some, but there's nuance to playing those schemes, and every NFL team plays some type of zone defense in 2016.
Closing speed is a fairly self-explainable trait. If you don't have the legs to keep up with a receiver like Antonio Brown, you're going to get roasted over and over if he's your assignment.
All together, those 100 points come together to make a balanced grading scale you can plug a cover corner or an enforcing strong safety through. Follow us as we scratch the surface on what veteran defensive backs have to offer.
28. Quintin Demps, SS, Houston Texans (31 Years Old)
1 of 28
Age: 31
Man Coverage
In the last four years, Quintin Demps has played for four different teams, which gives you a glimpse as to how the NFL values him overall. He's listed as a strong safety, but he flexes single-high as much as some free safeties.
Either way, he doesn't get many man-to-man looks, other than against tight ends. Even in those situations, he can lose his assignments on crossing patterns, a reflection of his legs.
Run Defense
Demps is not a quality run defender, even on the relative scale of safeties. Because he relies on making takes with his shoulder, he misses shots downfield.
On top of that, he's not very concerned with his run-pass read, as he's more than content to just hang over the top of a defense.
Ball Skills
Not once in his career has Demps recorded double-digit pass deflections. Last year, he had just six pass deflections and one interception.
The fact is, he isn't around the ball enough to make an impact on closing in on the ball.
Zone Coverage
He's technically listed as a strong safety, but he plays more Cover 3 and Cover 1 looks as a single-high safety than down at the line of scrimmage. He's not taking away a sideline, but he can play multiple slots in the middle of the field.
Closing Speed
When he attacks downhill, Demps is simply an average chase player. One reason why he plays a step behind players vertically is the fact that he tends to hesitate.
Overall
Demps is a mid-level to low-level safety at this point in his career. Demps is a borderline starter relative to the talent at safety leaguewide. If he doesn't take a few steps up this year, this may be the last time he gets a crack at such an opportunity.
He's a flexible safety who has no true attribute to hang his hat on as positive to his game.
27. William Gay, CB, Pittsburgh Steelers (31 Years Old)
2 of 28
Age: 31
Man Coverage
William Gay has been a staple in the Pittsburgh Steelers secondary for a decade now. The problem is, the Steelers defensive back unit has been their weakest part of the roster for years.
In man coverage, which the pressure-heavy Steelers run often, Gay can be a step behind receivers on crossing patterns. Gay's speed has slowly left him, and that's about as imporant in man coverage as any skill.
Run Defense
In run defense, Gay is about average leaguewide for the cornerback position. He doesn't do anything special, but he does his job well. When he's a Cover 2 cornerback, he doesn't let backs outside of him.
Ball Skills
Last year, Gay had only seven pass deflections. In his career, he has only 11 interceptions, though he has taken five of his last six interceptions to the house.
He's not a consistent force as a turnover threat, but when the ball is in his hand he's a threat to score.
Zone Coverage
As a zone cornerback, everything with Gay is a shuffle step, rather than a backpedal. He does a little bit of everything with Pittsburgh's defensive scheme, but consistency, not flexibilty, has been his issue as of late.
Closing Speed
Gay is not a cornerback who can match up with any isolated receiver, but he does have the speed to not be a vertical liability for now. As long as he doesn't lose another step, he should be able to stick as an outside cornerback rather than a slotback.
Overall
Pittsburgh is going to move away from Gay in the next few seasons. It has invested high draft picks at the position, and Gay has never been an above-average starter for the team.
At his age, he can still hang on a roster that lacks surface-level talent, but those days are going to be numbered once his legs go, as he's not a special cornerback in zone looks.
26. Kareem Jackson, CB, Houston Texans (28 Years Old)
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Age: 28
Man Coverage
Kareem Jackson isn't a name most are aware of, as the Houston Texans front seven gets a lot of credit for the team's pass defense, with J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus stealing the spotlight.
As a man cornerback, Jackson plays a bit scared. He leaves a lot of cushion between he and a receiver, which is fine if he's worried about getting burned, but leaves a lot of underneath options available for adjustments.
When he sees stacked receivers, he can also lose his man, as he's a second late to break and read.
Run Defense
There aren't many cornerbacks who are better in the run game than Jackson. He's violent and makes very good run-pass reads immediately.
On the perimeter, he will take out pulling offensive linemen with a wrong arm move, as he's fearless. The only flaw to his game here, other than his size, is the fact that he tries to be a hero, leaving his feet for tackles.
Ball Skills
Jackson hasn't had double-digit pass deflections since 2012, and he has recorded only five interceptions in the last three years. He had just six pass deflections last season, while Watt had eight, to put that into perspective.
Zone Coverage
Jackson works best in zone out of the slot, when the Texans go into nickle and kick him inside. He's a player who just wants to go, so making him hesitate and wait, reading route combinations and a quarterback, is a bad situation for him.
Closing Speed
He might be a step slower than some receivers, but Jackson has plus speed. Whenever he's lined up in the slot, he almost always has the advantage there.
Maybe he's not the type of guy who can go one-on-one with Antonio Brown on a vertical route, but there are very few of those humans on earth.
Overall
If Jackson could just play a single vertical route to his side, man up against slot receivers or come down against the run, Jackson would be an All-Pro. Unfortunately, you need to be well-rounded to have a spot in the NFL.
Houston does its best with putting Jackson into the right positions, but it doesn't always work out that way. He still has years to play in his career, but his positives and negatives are clear.
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25. Antonio Cromartie, CB, Indianapolis Colts (32 Years Old)
4 of 28
Age: 32
Man Coverage
Antonio Cromartie is the face of aging cornerbacks in the NFL. In the last four years, he's switched teams four times, bouncing from New York to Arizona, just to re-sign with the Jets and eventually landing in Indianapolis as an August signing.
If not for some injuries to the Colts' defensive backfield, Cromartie might not have a job in the NFL, but because the team was so thin he started Week 1. His legs hurt him at this point in his career, but when he's matched up with slot receivers he can stick hip-to-hip and take a receiver out of the progression.
Run Defense
Last year, Cromartie had just 26 tackles in 15 starts. To say that he doesn't make much of an impact in the ground game would be an understatement.
He's a cover cornerback in the textbook definition of the phrase.
Ball Skills
Cromartie is a man cornerback first, and a man cornerback's top priority is to take away a quick slant. Whenever teams try to throw that slant, he tends to get his hand on the ball, some way or another.
He has 115 pass deflections and 31 interceptions in his career. Even though he has slowed down in recent seasons, he's still a threat to take the ball away from an offense.
Zone Coverage
Cromartie played man defense primarily in five of his last six seasons as a Jet. When he is playing zone, he's best at quarters, which essentially turns vertical routes into man coverage.
He's not physical enough to play a Cover 2 type of system, and he doesn't float between vertical receivers as a Cover 3 defender. Pick a man for him to go head-to-head with and let him cook.
Closing Speed
The biggest reason for Cromartie's decline is the fact that his speed is slowly leaving. He's not the same player who once ran back a field goal for a touchdown out of the back of the end zone.
Overall
He's running on fumes, but Cromartie is still running. He may only have a few years in the tank, but he's a cornerback you could use in a pinch.
24. Corey Graham, FS, Buffalo Bills (31 Years Old)
5 of 28
Age: 29
Man Coverage
Corey Graham is a fairly faceless safety. The Buffalo Bills have had many faces recently, from head coach Rex Ryan to their loaded defensive line, which means their defensive backs aren't getting much face time.
Graham doesn't play in man coverage much as he's the team's safety net on aggressive blitzes, but when the Bills do roll out with five islands Graham does see some man looks. He's not much of a man-to-man defender, likely because free safeties get few reps in-game and in practice.
Run Defense
As a run defender, Graham is very talented. He's not the most physical guy in the world, but playing two-high looks allows him to participate in run fits and his speed allows him to crash down to the line of scrimmage quickly.
Ball Skills
Graham has never started double-digit games until 2015, his ninth season in the NFL, but the fact that he's had only two double-digit pass deflection seasons is telling. His 14 interceptions over nine years speaks, too.
He can get his hand on the ball, but as a safety net type of defender, he's not asked to play hip-to-hip with pass-catchers. If you're not close to the ball, it's hard to make a play on it.
Zone Coverage
Graham is almost always in some type of zone as a free safety, but as a player who is supposed to keep a cap on the offense. He's not much of an influencer, but a floating body who is in position "just in case."
Ryan's aggressive defense means sending inside linebackers on blitzes often, which often puts the back end of his defenses in compromised positions. Graham is the eraser who almost never changes a quarterback's mind as to where he's going with the ball, but is the body between a pass-catcher and the end zone, if Ryan's blitzes don't land.
Closing Speed
Graham is a very fast free safety. Often, safeties play off of receivers because they don't have the hips or speed to hang outside at cornerback. That's simply not the case here.
Overall
He's absolutely a late-bloomer, as he recorded 127 tackles in his first full-time season as a starter as a 30-year-old last season. What is a bit concerning, though, is that he went from 27 pass deflections from 2013 to 2014 to just four last season.
Graham isn't a big-play safety as a starter, but he is someone you don't have to worry about. Sometimes the safety position really comes down to the first four letters of that word, and Graham is about as safe as you can get at his age.
23. Patrick Chung, SS, New England Patriots (29 Years Old)
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Age: 29
Man Coverage
Patrick Chung is a borderline linebacker for the New England Patriots. After a one-year stint with the Philadelphia Eagles, he returned to New England, where he's now played seven of his eight seasons in the NFL.
In man coverage, Chung is a liability. He's not great out of breaks and he's a step behind crossing patterns, and that's with the Patriots only asking him to cover men out of the slot.
In the NFL, a defensive back can most influence a defense by first taking away a man one-on-one, which Chung has proven he can't truly do.
Run Defense
Run defense is where Chung makes his biggest impact on the Patriots defense. Though he's rarely in the discussion as a hybrid defender, he's a box safety, which is as close to a hybrid as you're going to get as a defensive back.
He's aggressive and violent on a down-to-down basis. Against stalk blocks, he holds up, and he does a good job of swimming blockers in space to avoid lost time in his run fit.
At times, he even sets the edge on stretch plays. Without him, New England would look completely different on the back end.
Ball Skills
Chung is not a plus player in terms of ball skills. In his entire career, he's never recorded double-digit pass deflections, and he has just one interception in his last three seasons combined.
Zone Coverage
He does play some high zone looks, but if you were trying to explain his role to someone who has never seen him play before, you'd call him a low zone safety. The less space he has to cover, the better the Patriots defense functions, which is a knock on Chung's overall talent as a safety in pass-first situations.
Closing Speed
Chung's legs aren't great. Often, he looks more like a linebacker in the open field than an explosive strong safety like a Kam Chancellor. He has average at best long speed.
Overall
The Patriots have built their entire identity as a franchise around players who play specific roles. Chung is a half-safety, half-linebacker "rover" type of player who is better the closer he is to the line of scrimmage.
He is a piece to the puzzle, but he's never going to be the border piece that you build everything else around. In that role, he's more than a solid starter.
22. Adam Jones, CB, Cincinnati Bengals (32 Years Old)
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Age: 32
Man Coverage
Adam Jones, who is best known by his nickname "Pacman," made his first Pro Bowl in 2015 as a 32-year-old. He had a fast start with the Tennessee Titans before off-field issues led to a forgettable stint with the Dallas Cowboys.
Between 2007 and 2011, he never played more than nine games in a single season, either due to suspension or injury. Eventually, though, he found himself in Cincinnati, where now-Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer was able to get him to buy into his scheme.
At his age, Jones can function as a man cornerback, but Cincinnati's defense asks everyone to do a little bit of everything, as it tries to disguise so much on the back end of its defense.
Jones can improve a lot coming in and out of breaks when in man, but he's a functional cornerback in just about any scheme you can draw up.
Run Defense
Jones is very good at making run-pass reads quickly when he's in conflict, but he's not perfect as a run defender. He's not going to be mistaken for a strong safety, and he sometimes takes too much time to work off his blocks.
Ball Skills
You can't really judge Jones' career by raw statistics because of how much time he missed after his first two years in the league, but he has posted three straight double-digit pass deflection seasons. He also only has 14 career interceptions, but nine of them have come in the last three seasons, too.
Jones seems to be improving with old age in this category.
Zone Coverage
Man defense is more about athleticism, while zone defense has more nuance. Jones' lack of experience relative to his age hurts him a bit in zone looks.
Often, he'll treat zone like man coverage, which is fine, until a double move roasts him and he has no safety help. He still looks at the hips of his targets and follows, instead of floating at a distance and reading the eyes of the quarterback.
Closing Speed
Jones clearly looks his age in the open field. He used to be one of the more dynamic cornerbacks in the league, and he's lost a step.
He's still a functional athlete, but 2015 went to prove that he doesn't have the legs he once had as a breakout player in Tennessee.
Overall
With Darqueze Dennard, Dre Kirkpatrick and Josh Shaw on the roster, including the recent pickup of KeiVarae Russell, the men who will push Jones out of the lineup are already breathing down his neck. The Bengals are well aware of what Jones' age is, despite the late-career accolades.
He's not perfect, but he's developing as a technician and ball hawk faster than he's declining as an athlete. As long as that's true, he'll find work in this league.
21. Reshad Jones, SS, Miami Dolphins (28 Years Old)
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Age: 28
Man Coverage
Unless you're paying close attention to the Miami Dolphins defense, you probably don't know Reshad Jones. Despite posting a 100-tackle season with the Dolphins last year, he was one of the more quiet Pro Bowl selections in 2015.
At the end of the day, he's a good player who plays the least important role in the secondary on a bad defense. Jones is a top-five strong safety in the league, but no one schemes their defense to avoid his influence.
One reason for that is the fact that Jones isn't very well-versed in man coverage. Most true strong safeties play that position because they are a liability in coverage, which checks out with Jones' film.
It's not until trips looks that Jones starts to float over slot receivers in man coverage, and even then he has the tendency to get picked apart.
Run Defense
What he looks like in run defense against pass defense couldn't be closer to night and day. As a low defender, he's a run-stuffer, often sent on blitzes to explode a ground game.
When he plays two-high, he won't hesitate to tackle a running back after taking on an offensive lineman to get there.
Ball Skills
Last year was the first season in which Jones had double-digit pass deflections in his career. He entered last season with 10 career interceptions, but made five during his breakout season.
The numbers would suggest that last season was a fluky year for Jones, but we'll find out the answer to that puzzle in 2016.
Zone Coverage
Jones isn't the type of safety who takes away the middle of the field or rolls over to take away any sideline shot. In terms of his drops, he's basically a linebacker.
Closing Speed
For a strong safety, Jones is pretty speedy. He can keep up with tight ends, but even slot receivers can give him issues in the open field.
Overall
Jones is a top-five strong safety in the league, but he's not a top-20 defensive back on this list. At the end of the day, true strong safeties can only thrive in specific schemes in today's NFL.
Miami isn't Seattle. If Kam Chancellor and Jones flipped teams, Jones would be a household name, while Chancellor would become an afterthought nationally. Jones showed flashes as a turnover factor last season, but we need to see him do it back-to-back before we claim that he is in fact a ball hawk.
20. Brent Grimes, CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (33 Years Old)
9 of 28
Age: 33
Man Coverage
Smaller cornerbacks are harder to come by, as the NFL is demanding longer cornerbacks on the outside while smaller athletes are transitioning to slot receiver, a position with more of an emphasis on it now than in any other era. This makes Brent Grimes, a sub-5'11" cornerback who was undrafted coming out of Division II's Shippensburg in 2006, a rarity in 2016.
One reason that teams are now swinging toward longer cornerbacks is the fact that longer arms help him press coverage, an area in which Grimes struggles. He's not much of a force near the line of scrimmage, which hurts him when his assignments go vertical in man coverage, as he will almost always have a disadvantage at the catch point.
Run Defense
As a run defender, Grimes' size also hurts him. In the same way he can't get into the chest of wideouts in press, it's hard for him to keep his chest clean when receivers come at him with blocks.
Too often, he gets hung up with blocks on the boundary, which isn't acceptable for an NFL defender.
Ball Skills
One place where Grimes wins is with ball skills. In his career, he's recorded 101 pass deflections and 26 interceptions, both numbers scoring much higher than the average total on this list. He doesn't rip the ball out of the hands of opponents, but if he can cut his man off the ball is his.
He's a bit of a finesse corner, but he's above average in this aspect.
Zone Coverage
Vertical assignments are an issue for him, but his pedal is very smooth and he forces conflict concepts like the dart-slant well. If you didn't need a Tampa 2 cornerback to play run defense at a high level, Grimes could be an All-Pro in that scheme.
Closing Speed
Grimes is a 33-year-old with the legs of a 21-year-old. He can still stick hip-to-hip with pass-catchers, even if he loses jump-ball situations. He has the make-up speed to avoid disaster plays.
Overall
Grimes may be a limited cornerback, but in the right scheme he can still be a 16-game starter. On his third squad since the 2012 season, he is more of a wanderer than someone a franchise builds around, but he still has a place in the league.
If Grimes can get two or three more years out of his legs, we should consider him to be maxing out his talent for his age bracket.
19. T.J. Ward, SS, Denver Broncos (29 Years Old)
10 of 28
Age: 29
Man Coverage
T.J. Ward is an established safety who is a second thought on the Denver Broncos' absolutely loaded defense. A 2010 second-round pick, Ward has made Pro Bowls with both the Broncos and the Cleveland Browns, but no one brings his name up on Denver's Super Bowl championship defense from 2015, when it had the likes of Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware and Malik Jackson leading the unit.
For as good of a strong safety that Ward is, he does have a blinding weakness to his game: man coverage. Because he plays like an enforcing defensive back instead of a cover cornerback, he lacks the skill to transition with slot receivers.
If he's asked to play both sides of a man instead of floating in a zone, Ward can get picked on all day.
Run Defense
There might not be a better safety who contributes to the ground game than Ward. Ward still lines up as a base safety, so he doesn't get the "moneybacker" label like a Deone Bucannon does, but he's about as much of a hybrid as the NFL will allow.
A few years ago, he was a 100-tackle player. If not for his strong front seven in Denver, he has the potential to repeat that type of total.
Ball Skills
Ward has just 33 pass deflections in his career, including only seven interceptions. He's not a ball-hawking safety, or even close to average at that trait relative to his position.
In tight coverage, you don't have to worry about Ward getting his hand on the ball. He'd rather run through a receiver to force an incompletion than try to take the ball to the house.
Zone Coverage
There are times when the Broncos do roll Ward into single-high and two-high looks, but it's clear that he's better closer to the line of scrimmage, which is why he plays so many low zone looks. With that being said, those traits aren't rare.
Closing Speed
Ward has very good downhill speed, which is why he's able to close on running backs out of the backfield, but he doesn't have make-up speed when his back is turned to the ball for whatever reason.
Overall
As far as strong safeties go, Ward is one of the best in 2015. He's an underrated piece to the puzzle of the Broncos defense, but those secondary players are what made Denver a suffocating opponent last season.
If a team spreads the Broncos out, forcing Ward to cover talented receivers, he's in trouble. But with their pass rush he's simply not asked to do that. There's not a better situation for him in the league, and he's making the most of the second leg of his career.
18. Jimmy Smith, CB, Baltimore Ravens (28 Years Old)
11 of 28
Age: 28
Man Coverage
Jimmy Smith has had some up and downs in his career. Heading into 2015, he looked like a true No. 1 cornerback, earning a second contract with the Baltimore Ravens. But every level of Baltimore's defense struggled last season due to injuries, and Smith's game was affected, too.
In man coverage, Smith can lock up hip-to-hip, though he might lose receivers on one-on-one matchups down the sideline. He simply cannot rely on track speed like some other cornerbacks can, and that leads to teams testing him deep.
Run Defense
As a run defender, Smith is average. There's nothing to grill him about, but all of the small nuances of keeping stalk blocks off himself and recognizing the run early aren't there in his game.
It's possible that it's an effort issue, but Smith doesn't quite hover around the ball like he should.
Ball Skills
In his entire NFL career, Smith has only eight interceptions. Though he had 42 pass deflections entering the 2016 season, Smith's ability to physically catch the ball is a bit concerning.
Right now, Smith is a cover corner who can get burned deep and doesn't threaten for an interception. He may not allow you to make a catch, but he's not going to strike fear in the heart of your quarterback, either.
Zone Coverage
Most of the zone drops he takes essentially turn into man coverage. He tends to play it safe and stay on top of receivers, rather than playing their back pocket.
That same safety net he casts to avoid getting burned also hurts him on late-breaking routes, though, as he has to baseball turn to get back into position to make a tackle.
Closing Speed
Smith's closing speed comes and goes. While he can't matchup with everyone vertically, his ability to break on a receiver after the catch should be consistent, but he seems to lack confidence, which keeps him from hitting full speed on a down-to-down basis.
Overall
Smith's career can go one of two ways. He's either going to return to the upward trending path his career was taking before his recent speed bump, or he's going to continue to regress and make the Ravens regret handing him a large contract.
Either way, we'll know by midseason. Smith can't be a high-variance player who tries to cast a safety net and doesn't have ball skills. You can't live in the NFL for long with that type of a mentality.
17. Byron Maxwell, CB, Miami Dolphins (28 Years Old)
12 of 28
Age: 28
Man Coverage
Byron Maxwell went from hero to zero incredibly fast. After his role as the fourth member of the Seattle Seahawks' Legion of Boom, he signed a megadeal with the Philadelphia Eagles worth $63 million.
One year later, he and linebacker Kiko Alonso were traded to the Miami Dolphins for a first-round pick exchange that moved the Eagles from the 13th to the eighth overall slot in the 2016 draft. The Dolphins are desperate for help in the secondary, and Maxwell hopes to bounce back in a new setting.
With the way the Philadelphia Eagles' 3-4 defense was structured last season, the back end of their defense, especially on the outside, played a pattern-matching zone, which essentially turns into man coverage. In man coverage, Maxwell typically stays on top of routes, though it's more of a cushion than a hip-to-hip style of play.
Run Defense
Often playing off coverage, Maxwell is fast to close in on ball-carriers when he doesn't have a body immediately on him. No NFL defensive coordinator looks at him and changes the "make cornerbacks make tackles" rule that consumes the league, but he holds his own on a relative scale for the position.
Ball Skills
You'd think that a player who warranted a six-year contract would be a defensive playmaker, but that is simply not the case here. Maxwell has only eight interceptions on his career, despite his three straight double-digit pass deflection seasons.
He can get his hand on the ball, but he doesn't take the ball away as much as a cornerback of his pay grade.
Zone Coverage
In Philadelphia, he often plays off coverage, while he was a Cover 3 specialist with the Seahawks. He does a solid job of floating between vertical routes in zone, which ends up being where he thrives, as opposed to man coverage.
Closing Speed
One major reason why Maxwell's game as a No. 1 corner fails is his makeup speed. He simply doesn't have the legs to make up for his inefficiencies, like maybe a Sam Shields can.
Overall
There were very few people at the time of his big free-agent contract who said that Maxwell was worth the money that the Eagles were slated to hand him. After just one season, they pulled the plug on the experiment, but the Dolphins could help him make the most out of a bad situation, if they use him like the Seahawks did.
Miami lacks a true No. 1 cornerback, but if it is able to pair someone opposite of him in the coming years, he could re-emerge as a quality player, even if he's not a star.
16. Jason McCourty, CB, Tennessee Titans (29 Years Old)
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Age: 29
Man Coverage
Jason McCourty's brother, Devin, is a good notch ahead of him on this list, but that doesn't mean that the "lesser" twin isn't a quality player. In fact, he's the top player in an underrated secondary in Tennessee.
In man coverage, he can stick a receiver in off coverage, while taking away the slant when he's pressed up with a man. Speed can be an issue on longer routes, but his short-man ability is among the top cornerbacks in the NFL.
Run Defense
As a run defender, his grade is affected greatly by his subpar tackling. Even when receivers catch the ball right next to him, like on speed outs, he struggles to wrap his man down at times.
Ball Skills
Heading into 2015, McCourty has only posted 11 interceptions in his career, though he's recorded double-digit deflection seasons in every year he's started six or more games for the Titans. As long as he rebounds in a 16-game year, Tennessee should have an impact player returning who can make plays on the defensive side of the ball.
Zone Coverage
McCourty doesn't try to pattern match much in Tennessee's zone scheme. Often, he's floating, which means that instead of eliminating options for a quarterback to throw to, he instead is just there to make a tackle.
Closing Speed
In terms of pure speed, McCourty can fall a step behind receivers, which is an issue for someone who doesn't have much speed to give. If his groin issue reappears in 2016, we could see his career trajectory drop off fairly quickly.
Overall
McCourty is a cornerback who is best playing man coverage when pressure doesn't allow for a receiver to go vertical on him. He's a semi-limited player, but what he does he does well.
Looking forward, he doesn't have the wiggle room to regress, but he's a clear starting cornerback in this league.
15. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, New York Giants (30 Years Old)
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Age: 30
Man Coverage
For the majority of his career, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has been considered the "other" Cromartie, as his cousin, Antonio, leads the family with four Pro Bowl bids. Last season, though, it was clear that Dominique took the lead in the family, as he made the Pro Bowl, while Antonio struggled to find work until the Indianapolis Colts called him in August.
Rodgers-Cromartie, only 30 years old, is on his fourth team in the NFL after a trade and two stints as a free agent, but his man skills haven't diminished. He's never been an elite cornerback, but he can make the windows a quarterback can throw into smaller, even if he can't shut the door.
At most, he's going to be one step behind a receiver, instead of getting completely burned.
Run Defense
In run defense, Rodgers-Cromartie is an absolute liability. Even on screen passes, his arm tackles make him a speed bump for offensive skill players.
Ball Skills
Heading into this season, Rodgers-Cromartie had 123 pass deflections in his career, along with 24 interceptions for four touchdowns. He's not a shutdown cover corner, but he is a defensive back who can make you pay for throwing his way.
Zone Coverage
He's veteran enough to realize that when he's in zone coverage, he needs to be looking at the No. 2 receiver to his side. Rarely will you see him bite on passing concepts like switch verticals, which are built to take advantage of aggressive corners with bad eyes.
Closing Speed
As a downhill player, Rodgers-Cromartie can force a cutback, but he has no breaks and little control to his speed, which is one reason for his arm tackles.
Overall
The New York Giants are going to replace Rodgers-Cromartie in the next few years, as evident by the contract they signed Janoris Jenkins to this offseason, along with the first-round pick they spent on Ohio State's Eli Apple.
Until then, though, he's a functional cornerback who is above average in coverage, below average when asked to tackle and among the top defensive backs in the league at getting his hands on the ball.
14. Kam Chancellor, SS, Seattle Seahawks (28 Years Old)
15 of 28
Age: 28
Man Coverage
Kam Chancellor is a known commodity. Right now, he's the strong safety in the NFL.
Everyone is looking for the next strong safety who is built like an edge defender and can run like a running back. Unfortunately, few of these players exist, leading to a lack of "enforcers" in the league.
One thing that Chancellor does not do well is play man coverage. How do we know this? The Seattle Seahawks avoid it at all costs.
You can tell a lot about a player by how his coaching staff uses him, and Seattle clearly doesn't trust him to lock up one-on-one. As a strong safety, few at the position are actually solid in man coverage, so it doesn't really affect his value relative to the other box safeties in the league.
Run Defense
As a run defender, Chancellor is the best in the league. Receivers don't have a chance at taking him out of a play, and he's able to meet tight ends and even offensive tackles at the point of attack.
He's aggressive, but not overaggressive, which keeps him balanced as a constant force near the league of scrimmage.
Ball Skills
Chancellor has only had one season with more than six pass deflections, and his 10 interceptions over six seasons is less than impressive. Chancellor should almost be graded as a linebacker, rather than a defensive back, considering how the Seahawks play him and his natural skill set.
Zone Coverage
In zone coverages, the Seahawks' Cover 3-heavy scheme asks Chancellor to play the underneath zone outside of the box, meaning he typically just picks up running backs exiting the backfield.
In terms of difficulty, Chancellor might have the least stressful assignments of a four-down defensive back in the league. It's hard to look good in coverage when you're really only asked to consistently give cushion and close in on a tackle.
Closing Speed
Chancellor's downhill speed is great, which allows him to generate a tremendous amount of force as the Seahawks' hammer. Laterally, though, Chancellor is merely average.
Overall
You can make the case that Chancellor has been the NFL's best box safety for the past three years or so and few would argue with you. If you don't know who he is, the running backs, tight ends and slot receivers on your teams can probably tell you intimate stories about when they first felt him crashing down on them.
13. Eric Weddle, FS, Baltimore Ravens (31 Years Old)
16 of 28
Age: 31
Man Coverage
You know who Eric Weddle is. If you don't know him from years of San Diego Chargers football, you at least have caught a glimpse of his signature beard.
Weddle mostly plays zone as a free safety, but there are some opportunities for him to make plays man-to-man in the red zone, which he does. He's not someone you want to leave on an island consistently, but he can get it done in a pinch.
Run Defense
As a run defender, Weddle handles blocks poorly. When he gives strong safety looks, he's able to shift through some trash, but he rarely takes on blocks like a defender who can bounce back the ball.
As a downhill tackler, he leaves more to be wanted. He's not the most physical safety in the league, which might be an issue as he starts to slow down with age.
Ball Skills
In the last four seasons, Weddle hasn't recorded a 10-deflection year, and he has only posted six interceptions over that stretch. More and more, his legs are putting him into a position to not make plays on the ball.
Zone Coverage
In coverage, he's mostly in zone, as we covered in the "man" portion of his scouting report. He flexes between high and low zones, and does a quality job of disguising his intentions.
What keeps him from being elite in this category is the fact that he never has to play the deep zone on the sideline. As a true safety, there's not more you can ask from him.
Closing Speed
Weddle, even in his early 30s, still has above-average speed. When he's dropped down to the line of scrimmage, he can run down the back side of a zone run, which changes how offenses take into account of the numbers game in terms of blockers.
Overall
Weddle still looked like his old self in San Diego, but his addition to the Baltimore Ravens, who hopefully can make a playoff run for his sake, will put him into the spotlight for the first time in a long time. He's a flexible safety who can do a little of everything, but is a bit of a liability against the run.
12. Tramon Williams, CB, Cleveland Browns (33 Years Old)
17 of 28
Age: 33
Man Coverage
Tramon Williams has been an underrated cornerback for the majority of his career. After signing with the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2006, he spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers, earning just one Pro Bowl for 99 starts with the team.
The Packers eventually let him walk, as they added more youth to their cornerback unit, but he found a landing spot in Cleveland. While he isn't a perfect cornerback, he does thrive in certain situations.
In Green Bay, he was often left with no help with outside receivers, as the team sent aggressive blitzes. In Cleveland, he still shows the hips to play man-to-man with receivers both vertically and on comebacks, but his raw stats won't tell you that's the case.
Man cornerbacks are only as good as the pass rush in front of them, something Cleveland lacks, which is why Williams looks like he's regressing faster than he actually is.
Run Defense
When Williams is playing off coverage, without an immediate body coming right at him, he's able to process run reads very quickly. He's nothing close to a force in the running game, but he can be a functional cog to a machine.
Ball Skills
Last year, Williams had just 10 pass deflections, his worst total since 2007 when he started just one game. He also had just one interception, again his worst total since 2007.
He's not who he used to be in terms of getting his hand on the ball, but he's not in a situation to succeed in the first place.
Zone Coverage
In Cover 2 looks, Williams does a good job of forcing receivers to take inside releases if he's the boundary cornerback. He does well in pattern-matching concepts that essentially turn into man, too, though his floating against two vertical routes in Cover 3 can be suspect at times.
He too often turns those plays into man concepts, allowing for an easy shot for a quarterback up the seam.
Closing Speed
Williams still has some make-up speed, even at 33 years old. He stands above most of the defensive backs on this list in the category.
Overall
Williams is a quality aging cornerback in a bad situation for his skill set. He was always a cornerback who needed a quality front seven to thrive in his role, and Cleveland is about as far from that as you can get in the NFL.
He's likely on the last leg of his career, but if the Browns can get a pass rush going, look for a late resurgence in Williams' career trajectory.
11. Malcolm Jenkins, FS, Philadelphia Eagles (28 Years Old)
18 of 28
Age: 28
Man Coverage
For a safety, Malcolm Jenkins does a good job of holding his own in man coverage. He does have a cornerback background in his past, but he moved to safety in his second year in the league with the New Orleans Saints, the position in which he played in the Pro Bowl last season.
With a flexible safety like Jenkins, the Eagles are able to send a variety of blitz packages, knowing they can pick up slot receivers with Jenkins if they go vertical. That sounds like a simple concept, but many teams don't have the horses to man up their free safety in blitz situations.
Run Defense
As a defender, Jenkins is fairly underrated in terms of his contribution in the run game. He's not going to make a lot of highlight tackles, but his ability to stack and separate from receivers when they engage with him is very solid.
Ball Skills
Jenkins numbers don't truly reflect how often he gets his hands on the ball, as he only has 63 registered pass deflections in his seven-year career heading into 2016. His 11 interceptions are a cause for concern for a player with as many reps as he has had in his career, but his ability to take interceptions to the house, which he's done four out of 11 times, gives him a bump in this aspect.
Zone Coverage
He's listed as a safety, and he plays a lot of safety, but Jenkins isn't a stranger to playing in the slot, either. Because he can match up well with them, the Eagles often roll him down, but in passing situations that also means his assignments are much less impactful than a safety who is playing the middle of the field.
Closing Speed
There's nothing to write home to mom about either way in this category. Is Jenkins a freak like Earl Thomas? No. Is he a liability who can't play man or contribute in pursuit? No.
He's somewhere in the middle, which is perfectly fine for a defensive back of his age.
Overall
After making 109 tackles last season, Jenkins had his name called more than just about any defensive back in the NFL, leading to his first Pro Bowl nomination. The question now is if he's able to repeat that type of success, or if he's a one-year wonder as a "star" safety.
10. Terence Newman, CB, Minnesota Vikings (38 Years Old)
19 of 28
Age: 38
Man Coverage
Football players aren't supposed to be playing in their late 30s, let alone at a position that demands as much athleticism as cornerback. Terence Newman, who was drafted in 2003, is a rule-breaker in many ways.
Newman worked with Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer in Dallas from 2003 through 2006, in Cincinnati from 2012 to 2014 and now in Minneapolis. Zimmer, the most cornerback-orientated head coach in the game, has been with Newman through multiple phases of his career and truly trusts Newman to get specific jobs done in his defense.
One aspect where Newman isn't very talented is his man skills. At his age, you can only imagine the step he's lost since his last Pro Bowl appearance in 2009, which hurts him when he has no safety help.
Asking Newman to lock up with top receivers isn't something he's being asked to do at this point in his career, but if he were forced to perform that way, it wouldn't be pretty.
Run Defense
As a run defender, Newman plays a lot like a Tampa 2-style cornerback, whose influence in the lower portion of the field is great. His 810 career tackles are no mistake; he's always around the ball, unafraid of sticking his nose in the action.
Ball Skills
Despite his gradual decline, Newman's had no less than eight pass deflections in every season he's played in the NFL, even if he misses a few games down the stretch. In the last four years, despite two transitions to new squads, he continued to post four straight double-digit deflection seasons.
On top of that, he has 40 career interceptions. He may not be making these plays deep down the sideline, but he is able to get his hand on the ball, which counts wherever he is on the field.
Zone Coverage
Minnesota runs some of the best disguises in the league, but one tip it does give is playing Newman in the slot when it runs zone blitzes. Newman simply can't hang vertical on a down-to-down basis.
In low zones, he thrives, but that's not as rare of a trait as shutdown cornerbacks who can take away any area of the field.
Closing Speed
Newman has lost a step, but just a step. He's not an absolute liability in terms of straight-line speed, but he's nothing more than league average at this point.
His speed can be worked around by alignment and assignments, which Zimmer and Co. do a pretty solid job at realizing.
Overall
No one older than Newman is higher on this list than him. In an NFL that now values speed and length, this 5'10", well-aged cornerback is the anomaly for smaller corners to look up to.
Be it in the slot or as a low-zone boundary cornerback, his skill set still translates to the Vikings scheme, even if he only has a few more years in the tank before his wheels completely fall off.
9. Reggie Nelson, FS, Oakland Raiders (33 Years Old)
20 of 28
Age: 33
Man Coverage
Reggie Nelson has spent his NFL career split with three teams: the Jacksonville Jaguars, who picked him in the first round, the Cincinnati Bengals and now the Oakland Raiders. In his ninth NFL season, he finally led the NFL in interceptions and made his first Pro Bowl.
With all of that being said, Nelson is a free safety for a reason: He doesn't have the man-to-man skills to hang outside. He's not particularly tall or fast, and it's difficult for him to stick hip-to-hip with wideouts when the Bengals went into Cover 0 last season.
His best role is as a high zone man reading the quarterback's eyes, and that's how he should be used in the NFL.
Run Defense
He's not a Kam Chancellor type of safety by any means, but Nelson is an underrated run defender. He doesn't bring the hammer, but he takes safe, consistent angles.
At free safety, you're often the last line of defense on long runs. Nelson's ability to take away the home run by staying patient is a huge positive that gets overlooked.
Ball Skills
Despite only registering 14 pass deflections last season, Nelson did come down with eight interceptions, an amazing number. With 30 interceptions in his career, it's hard to call him anything less than a game-changing single-high safety.
Zone Coverage
Last season, Cincinnati's defense was fairly varied in the back end. While many focus on how teams line up in the front seven, how you line up with your safeties can be more of an identity to a team than which gaps defensive linemen shoot into.
The Bengals flexed both Nelson and George Iloka into single-high and two-high looks, forcing offenses to adapt on a play-by-play basis last season. In high coverage, Nelson was one of the best in the league, but the closer to the line of scrimmage that he gets, the less of a factor he is.
Closing Speed
Nelson can't play sideline-to-sideline like some of the elite free safeties in the league, but he can hang in the middle half of the field. He has enough speed to get home on blitzes when he's dropped near the line of scrimmage, which is probably where his straight-line ability was stressed in Cincinnati's scheme.
Overall
It's rare that you see defensive backs peak this late into their careers, but Nelson is playing his best football in his 30s. He's an instant starter in Oakland, and he should give the team about two or three more years of quality play, while its youth on the roster builds up.
Free safety play is often more of a reflection of the eyes of a defensive back than his athletic ability, and a decade removed from the college game has given Nelson plenty of experiance to work out the kinks in his game.
8. Devin McCourty, FS/CB, New England Patriots (29 Years Old)
21 of 28
Age: 29
Man Coverage
Devin McCourty is in a weird spot with the New England Patriots. Depending on the game, McCourty can be split out as a cornerback or stick to his free safety spot.
In his career, he's played both positions as his primary role, but he's currently listed as a free safety, though hybrid positions in 2016 make it hard to define certain players.
He's not perfect, which is why he isn't a full-time cornerback, a position that generally costs more and is more valuable than free safety. But he does maintain a good relationship with his target's hip in man coverage.
Run Defense
For the most part, as a single-high safety, McCourty doesn't have much of a run fit. If the ball gets to him, someone blew an assignment in the first place.
He tends to hang up top, but he does shut down the back side of runs on tape. He has more of a responsibility than most pure cornerbacks, which should be noted.
Ball Skills
Too often, balls cross McCourty's face, making them a hard play for the defensive back. Earlier in his career, McCourty was more of a playmaker than his current form.
In his first three seasons in the league, he had 43 pass deflections and 14 interceptions. In his last three seasons in the league, he has had 21 pass deflections and four interceptions, all while only missing three games.
He's nowhere close to who he used to be, even if he is still above average for this list.
Zone Coverage
As a single-high safety, McCourty often floats in the middle of the field. There or at cornerback, his pedal is fluid. When he's playing zone on the boundary, his hips look a lot closer to those of a corner than those of a safety.
Closing Speed
McCourty isn't Earl Thomas, but he's just about as close as you're going to get in the AFC. His speed is an obvious positive for his game. For what he may lack in big-play ability, McCourty can cancel out a lot of passing options with his legs alone.
Overall
For a while, Darrelle Revis was the man in the New England secondary. Malcolm Butler is now the team's top cornerback and strong safety Patrick Chung makes some rattling hits, but McCourty is the 2016 Patriots' top defensive back by a good margin.
Without McCourty, a flexible piece who can truly play the middle third of the field with no issue, New England would struggle to throw out multiple schemes on a week-to-week basis. He's the cog who keeps the defense spinning.
7. Johnathan Joseph, CB, Houston Texans (32 Years Old)
22 of 28
Age: 32
Man Coverage
No 32-year-old is higher on this list than Johnathan Joseph. We think of Darrelle Revis as a cornerback who is well-established in this league, but Joseph has provided quality starting play for two different franchises for five years in the Houston Texans and the Cincinnati Bengals.
He's by far the most underrated cornerback in the league, likely because he's on a defense with all-world lineman J.J. Watt, former first overall pick Jadeveon Clowney and linebacker Brian Cushing, a former rookie of the year.
Joseph isn't the only overlooked defender on that team, as pass-rusher Whitney Mercilus had the quietest double-digit sack season in the NFL last season. The cornerback should be highlighted, though.
In man coverage, Joseph is very tight across the middle, but he has the tendency to stay too high on vertical threats, which opens up curl routes, which he's slow to close on. A man cornerback giving up short routes is better than most defensive backs can provide.
Run Defense
As a run defender, Joseph doesn't trust his frame enough. Too often, he'll take his eyes off his target and meet him too low.
He's more than willing, but if he made more heads-up plays he could avoid broken arm tackles and overrunning his target.
Ball Skills
Last year, Joseph had an amazing 22 pass deflections, the third time in his career that he cracked the 20-pass deflection mark. His 32 total turnovers in his career speak for themselves, as do his five career touchdowns.
Zone Coverage
Because he can give some cushion on vertical routes, when teams run stop-and-go routes on him he tends to crash down, adjusting late to the second vertical attempt. That can be problematic in zone defense, especially in quarters, when he has absolutely no help deep.
Closing Speed
In terms of pure speed, Joseph is just average for an NFL defensive back, but that's more than you should expect from a 32-year-old. It's to the point where you could see a rapid decline in his play if he loses another step, but he's functioning as is.
Overall
Joseph is the best defensive back who you may have heard of, but can't name which team he plays for. He's part of a Texans defense that led the team into the playoffs last year, but he isn't discussed as a key piston to the engine of the franchise.
For a position that sees so many one-year wonders, it's great that there are cornerbacks like Joseph who proved themselves long term, not just with one team but two.
6. Vontae Davis, CB, Indianapolis Colts (28 Years Old)
23 of 28
Age: 28
Man Coverage
Everyone may not know who Vontae Davis is, since the Indianapolis Colts haven't had a quality defense for years, but he's one of the better individual cornerbacks in the NFL.
Davis is by far the most talented defender on the Colts roster, as he made the All-Pro list for the first time last season. If not for a late summer trade with the Miami Dolphins in 2012, the Colts might not have fielded an above-average defender in 2016.
In man coverage, or pseudo man coverage, Davis tends to hold his own. Other than playing too far off at times and underestimating the speed of some tight ends, he does a very consistent job of executing his assignments.
Run Defense
In the Colts' quarters-heavy scheme, cornerbacks aren't involved much in run fits. He's a true cover cornerback.
Ball Skills
Since 2009, Davis has posted 21 interceptions, the second-most for a cornerback drafted in his class or later, behind just Richard Sherman. He also has an amazing 85 pass deflections in his time with the Dolphins and Colts.
Zone Coverage
The Colts scheme turns just about every assignment that Davis has into some form of man within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. He's not a floating zone type of player, but if you want to use your safeties in the run game, Davis can hang on the outside with the best of the best.
Indianapolis isn't the type of defense that needs to be spread out to run against. Because of that, Davis locking up with primary receivers, even in zone, is the squad's best shot to win defensively.
Closing Speed
In terms of pure straight-line speed, Davis is above average, but he's not a blazer. He may be a 4.50- or 4.60-second 40-yard dash guy at the moment, but that's still more than enough to make an impact in the NFL.
Overall
Davis is quietly one of the more dominant cornerbacks in the NFL. He doesn't really talk like a Josh Norman or Richard Sherman, and he doesn't play on a notable defense like Darrelle Revis, so he gets overlooked.
After earning some recognition last season, though, you hope that he starts to get appreciated by the mainstream. He may not be a great fit for a Cover 2 or Cover 3-heavy defense, but as long as he's able to take the sideline zone or man, and that's all he has to do, it's hard to beat him man-to-man.
5. Sam Shields, CB, Green Bay Packers (28 Years Old)
24 of 28
Age: 28
Man Coverage
In terms of a narrative, there is no cornerback closer to Richard Sherman than Sam Shields. Both were receivers for the majority of their college careers and turned from relative unknowns into some of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL.
Shields was a receiver at the University of Miami until his final year, and that can sometimes still show up on the field. He has a fast pedal, but his tendency to bite on double moves is his "fatal" flaw.
He also can tend to play too far over the top of his assignment, rather than hip-to-hip, which can cause him to give up more underneath than some cornerbacks of his caliber. Shields is a No. 1 cornerback, but not one without clear knocks to his game.
Run Defense
As a run defender, one aspect of his game hurt him: Instead of truly driving in and out of his breaks, he would rather baseball turn from going uphill to downhill. He just doesn't play the run aggressively, though his pure speed keeps him from being a liability in the category.
Ball Skills
Dom Capers' entire defense is built around two goals: sacks and interceptions. Because of that, he often schemes into zone blitzes that demand his defensive backs to make plays on the ball, and that is where Shields thrives.
Since Shields entered the league in 2010, only one cornerback, Richard Sherman, has come in and posted more interceptions than the Green Bay Packer.
Zone Coverage
In Capers' scheme, you have to be able to do a little of everything, as it keeps offenses guessing. He has no issue with sending cornerbacks on blitzes, like he did with Charles Woodson, or dropping nose tackles into coverage, like he did with B.J. Raji.
Shields does a good job of pattern-matching on deep zone assignments, but he's not a talented low zone defender. That same lack of aggressive play in the run game shows up when he's not taking an outside receiver up the sideline.
Closing Speed
It's hard to talk about Shields without bringing up his speed. For as raw as he can be at times, his speed is what is able to mask most of his mistakes.
Overall
Shields is a top-end vertical receiver who can make plays around the ball. For what the Packers ask for him to do, he fills the role.
He may not be a consistent talent, but he's a top-end talent who has the potential to make any play that the All-Pros can.
4. Darrelle Revis, CB, New York Jets (31 Years Old)
25 of 28
Age: 31
Man Coverage
Darrelle Revis is the best eraser of a cornerback in the last decade or so in the NFL. The nickname "Revis Island" stuck for a reason.
Under both Rex Ryan and Todd Bowles, the Jets like to pressure defenses by sending blitzes with 3-4 inside linebackers that either leave him manned-up one-on-one with primary receivers in Cover 1 or Cover 0. In that role, he has thrived.
After his two-year mercenary voyage, to Tampa Bay for money and to New England for a ring, Revis has once again landed on his feet in New York. Despite that 2012 ACL injury and his age, he still is able to break on the ball quickly, which allows him to rank among the best in the league at the position.
He's had some early struggles against the likes of A.J. Green this season, which drop him lower than he would have ranked coming into the year, but there's still hope for him to turn it around.
Run Defense
In run defense, he's a true cover cornerback. When you're playing zone defense, you're able to look into the backfield, whereas when you're in man you often have locked eyes on your assignment.
By design, Revis is often not involved in the ground game, which judging by his effort and skill level when he is within the structure of run plays is totally fine with him.
Ball Skills
Since entering the NFL in 2007, only one player, Aqib Talib, has posted more interceptions in fewer seasons than Revis has made. With 132 pass deflections and 28 interceptions in his career, as a cornerback to avoid, it's hard to make the claim that he's anything other than a turnover machine.
Zone Coverage
When the Jets aren't blitzing, Revis is typically in some type of zone, using a shuffle technique. While man coverage is more valuable, which is why he's viewed as what he is, his zone coverage has virtually no flaw, either.
You can play him in a low zone if you want, like the Buccaneers did, but at his contract price you're just misusing assets, not putting Revis in a position that he can't succeed in.
Closing Speed
Revis' speed is still very good, but he's at the "quicker than fast" portion of his career, at least if you consider a cornerback's drive as part of "quickness."
Overall
Revis has dominated for nearly a decade, and he's still playing up to his $70 million contract in his early 30s. For a position so speed-based, in a sport where you see players around 28 years old flame out quickly, Revis' staying power has been fun to watch.
New York has Revis locked up through 2019, and they could very well give him one final deal after that. According to Spotrac, Revis' career earnings rank him 13th in the league overall, good for the third defender behind Julius Peppers, who was the second overall pick in the 2002 draft, and Mario Williams, who was the first overall pick in the 2006 draft.
His $118 million career value completely outshines DeAngelo Hall's total, who has the second-highest career value among active players with a $75 million mark. Revis has just been that much better than everyone else at his position for so long, and unless his recent speed bump continues throughout the season, he's still going to find work for a long time.
3. Aqib Talib, CB, Denver Broncos (30 Years Old)
26 of 28
Age: 30
Man Coverage
Aqib Talib is a bit of a wild card off the field, but at just 30 years old he's found success with three different NFL franchises. It's within reason to question how long he can stay as a functioning member of a locker room, but his on-field talent speaks for itself.
Third-down situations in Denver are the hardest in the league to deal with. Not only did they have an amazing set of pass-rushers to throw out on the line of scrimmage, but the Broncos had three quality cornerbacks and two great coverage linebackers to man up with in 2015, which they built a championship out of.
Of those three cornerbacks, Talib is the alpha dog, and there's no question that he's a cornerstone the secondary can't let go of schematically. The majority of Talib's assignments are either man-to-man concepts or zone concepts that turn into man with pattern matching.
Run Defense
Talib isn't your typical press-man cornerback. He often plays in off coverage, which keeps him further away from contributing in the ground game than the majority of cornerbacks.
He's a cover corner, and that's fine in today's NFL. Denver actively puts him in a position to increase his passing game contribution, lessening his run influence, due to where the strengths of his game are.
Ball Skills
Since Talib entered the league in 2008, no cornerback has come into the NFL and out-intercepted Talib, who has 30 picks in his career. Vontae Davis, thought of as a true No. 1 cornerback, has 21 interceptions in just one less season than Talib, which is amazing considering the fact that Talib has eight pick-sixes in his career alone.
Talib is not only a threat to steal the ball from an offense, but to turn a defensive play into direct points for his team at any given moment.
Zone Coverage
Like in the run game, Talib's often "too deep" approach to coverage can hurt him a bit by making the windows in Denver's zone schemes larger, but he's not close to being average in this category. His eyes in Cover 3 and Cover 4 are always right, and no offense has just slowly chipped away on speed outs and curls on the way to a victory.
Closing Speed
Talib's speed typically isn't a problem, but crossing patterns in man coverage do tend to cause him some issues. His tendency to play off, to manage his long speed, can lead teams to stretch him low across the field in man coverage.
Overall
For all of the off-field issues that may come with Talib, he's well worth the headache. Cornerbacks like him simply don't grow on trees.
Talib has been a known commodity his entire career, as he was the highest-drafted Kansas defender since 1977 when he came out of school, the program's top defensive back ever. If he can stay as consistent off the field as he is on the field, he's in for one more major payday in his career.
2. Josh Norman, CB, Washington Redskins (28 Years Old)
27 of 28
Age: 28
Man Coverage
Josh Norman was the breakout player of the 2015 season. While his teammate Cam Newton won the NFL's MVP honors, Norman was the defender who seemingly went from a no-name to the face of a 15-1 defense.
Norman was franchise-tagged by the Carolina Panthers, just to have the squad release him from the deal just before the draft. That all led to a late signing with the Washington Redskins, who moved longtime cornerback DeAngelo Hall to safety this season.
Norman isn't best known as a man cornerback, which is why you may have seen him lose some one-on-one battles in training camp, but he can hold his own against wideouts who don't have the track speed of a DeSean Jackson.
By far, Norman's best attribute in man coverage is his physicality when he's pressing outside targets. He's one of the more violent cornerbacks in the league, which can get in the heads of some of the best players at the position.
Run Defense
It's hard to get a feel for how Norman would fair as a heavy run contributor. In Carolina, that front seven pretty much took care of the run game itself, with high-flying linebackers.
Washington also seems to be in love with sideline-to-sideline linebackers, as they just spend a second-round pick on Su'a Cravens out of USC, a former safety, in the mold of the Panthers' Thomas Davis and Shaq Thompson.
From what Norman shows as a deep-zone cornerback, he does a decent job at stopping late-developing run plays, but he's nothing special.
Ball Skills
Last year, Josh Norman was able to post 19 pass deflections and four interceptions. Now, you can make the case that Norman has the potential to be a one-year wonder, but his numbers last year were among the best in the league.
In terms of pure pass deflections, not including interceptions, Norman posted more than anyone else on this list did in 2015. If he can repeat that in 2016, he'll be a staple defender in this league.
Zone Coverage
Norman's bread and butter is his ability to play multiple zone coverages. When he's a Cover 2 type of defender, he can sometimes spend too much effort, time and balance on a violent chuck, but he does well enough to recover from that start.
If that's the worst you can say about a cornerback's zone ability, that he's sometimes too aggressive in forcing re-routes at the line of scrimmage, then you have a pretty good defensive back on your hands.
Closing Speed
Norman doesn't have the speed of a sprinter, but he has the make-up speed to float in Cover 3-type defenses. If his legs start giving out quickly, he's not going to have a long career, but he's well-above average for his age as a cornerback.
Overall
2016 will be the telling year for Norman. Is he a Nnamdi Asomugha or Byron Maxwell, big-name cornerbacks who never put it together with their second franchises, or a Charles Woodson or Aqib Talib, legitimate shutdown cornerbacks who made the most of their change of scenery?
We'll find out soon, but if the Redskins use Norman in the way the Panthers did, it's hard to imagine how he'd fail in Virginia.
1. Richard Sherman, CB, Seattle Seahawks (Age 28)
28 of 28
Age: 28
Man Coverage
If you're a football fan in 2016, you already know who Richard Sherman is. If his name doesn't conjure up memories of him deflecting a clutch pass late in the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers, it should surely bring back a memory of his interview with Erin Andrews after the 2014 game.
Sherman can play cornerback with the best of them, and he can also run his mouth. He has a near-diva approach to the position, which shouldn't be a surprise considering the fact that he began his college career as a receiver at Stanford.
The Seattle Seahawks run a lot of Cover 3 on third downs, but Sherman does get looks in either man coverage or in zone matchups that basically turn his assignment into man coverage.
He runs hip-to-hip with the best receivers in the league. He's physical enough to re-route receivers, shaving time off a quarterback's clock while the Seattle pass rush is barreling downhill.
Sherman is one of the better cover cornerbacks in the league. To the point that it shouldn't be close to disputed.
Run Defense
The Seahawks don't often have Sherman contributing in the run game by alignment. You can spend hours trying to piece together some Cover 2 highlights where Sherman is playing low with Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor taking the deeper portion of the field, and you'll just come away frustrated.
Sherman's fine attacking ball-carriers downhill or receivers from across the field, but he's not a player who you want coming on run blitzes, even at 6'3". Sherman is above average for a cornerback here, but he's not a force by any means.
Ball Skills
Sherman was baptized by fire in the NFL. Drafted in the fifth round of the 2011 draft, Sherman, who had just moved to cornerback in 2009, started double-digit games for the Seahawks. Immediately, his receiver background began to flash.
Not only did he post 17 pass deflections in 2011, but he had four interceptions. In five years as a pro, Sherman has 79 deflections along with 26 interceptions.
Zone Coverage
If you think of a zone cornerback, you often think of a Cover 2 cornerback like Ronde Barber who contributed in the low zone and run game more than as a vertical defensive back. While that can be true, there are other ways to differentiate zone from pattern-matching or man traits.
For example, if there is a pair look to one side of the field and both receivers go vertical, a cornerback's job is to float between the two and play the ball in the air. This "baiting" is how Seattle's Cover 3 scheme often helps Sherman flash his makeup speed, length and ball skills.
Closing Speed
I don't think you can find anyone who doesn't think Sherman's closing speed down the sideline is special, even if he ran just a 4.56-second 40-yard dash at the combine in 2011.
Overall
The Seattle Seahawks defense is a prototype now. You see long cornerbacks drafted because of Sherman's success.
You see franchises signing their defensive coordinators as head coaches. What those franchises lack, though, are Sherman-like cornerbacks.
Maybe rookie third overall pick Jalen Ramsey will become a Sherman clone in Jacksonville, but we see time and time again that it isn't the X's and O's that make the Seahawks a consistent title contender, but the talent of their personnel on the defensive side of the ball. There, Sherman, who is making $56 million on a four-year contract, is the leader of the pack.
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