That's the title of this article in the Athletic. Here's an excerpt:
...dave[....]
We will stack the best in the business below using a framework borrowed from evaluators to cut through the flamboyance and bravado that has marked the position historically and still lingers.
[....]
[W]hen coaches and evaluators are asked to list the top ones today, they do not always rattle off five or six names in a rigid order they feel strongly about. It is only when we apply a logical framework to the evaluation that a clearer picture materializes. That’s what we’ve done below while giving NFL coaches and evaluators their say on the best cornerbacks in 2020.
[....]
The first group includes players who transcend scheme with the physical ability to do it all, and a track record of playing at an elite level.
1. Jalen Ramsey, Los Angeles Rams
2. Stephon Gilmore, New England Patriots
3. Patrick Peterson, Arizona Cardinals
Peterson, like Ramsey, was the fifth player selected in his draft class (in 2011) as one of the most physically gifted prospects at the position. He set a Hall of Fame pace with eight Pro Bowl selections in his first eight seasons, including seven straight as a cornerback after earning the honor as a rookie return specialist. That streak ended in 2019 as Peterson served a six-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs amid reports he wanted out of Arizona.
“There has been a drop-off in his play, but you have to understand what happened to him,” an evaluator said. “He had the suspension and it took him a while to get going again, and by the time he was rolling, it was past the trade deadline. He is someone you can ask to travel with the No. 1 wideout. Not every team asks that of its corners.”
Peterson should be in better position to excel this season, the final year of his contract.
“Fast guy, great change of direction, real smart, not afraid to play man, not afraid to play bump, doesn’t get beat over the top, is very quick to drop and come out of breaks,” an offensive coordinator said. “If you start doing some things and he has to make calls, has to read the concepts, that is not his strength. But if you say, ‘You’ve got that cat,’ he usually does a good job of covering the guy.”
The next group of corners are less established players who have already flashed top-end ability and could ascend further beginning this season.
4. Marshon Lattimore, New Orleans Saints
5. Marlon Humphrey, Baltimore Ravens
6. Tre’Davious White, Buffalo Bills
7. Jaire Alexander, Green Bay Packers
8. Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns
The final group features players who have changed teams, battled injuries or are showing their age, creating variance in their play.
9. Darius Slay, Philadelphia Eagles
10. Marcus Peters, Baltimore Ravens
11. Xavien Howard, Miami Dolphins
12. Richard Sherman, San Francisco 49ers
Sherman’s name did not come up right away when coaches and evaluators were asked to name the NFL’s top corners. They see Sherman thriving in the 49ers’ scheme with an elite pass rush, but they do not think he runs well enough to cover top receivers without help.
“Good, heady player,” an offensive coordinator said. “To me he belongs in that second tier for his overall play, the intelligence, the savvy.”
Another offensive coordinator called himself one of Sherman’s greatest admirers.
“I love him as a competitor,” this coordinator said. “The guy has phenomenal ball skills. He absolutely 100 percent knows his limitations, knows what he can do really well. He can be scary to go against as a play caller because when I call a play and if I show something he has seen on tape, he is going to know it.”
Sherman leads the NFL in interceptions with 35 since entering the NFL in 2010. He has another four picks in the playoffs, but was more recently on the wrong end of the Chiefs’ pivotal completion from Patrick Mahomes to Sammy Watkins in the Super Bowl. Now, he’s on injured reserve with a leg injury and will miss at least three games.
“I love him to death because he is a great guy and he has figured out the game better than anybody could figure it out,” another coordinator said, “but San Francisco needs to move him to safety right now. He is a very good tackler and he is very bright, but him out on the highway right now in the left lane going 45 miles an hour when the speed limit is 70 ain’t going to work. He can read, he can play man underneath, he can bail and play zone. He can’t run any more. They showed that in the Super Bowl.”
Last edited:
