NFL Top 10 Series: Cornerbacks

(Credit: Getty Images)

When it comes to today's NFL, there might not be a defensive position more valuable than the cornerback position. It's a passing league after all as they say, so you need as many defenders as you can to halt wide receivers from getting huge gains or from even completing passes. These ten players do it better than anybody else in the league, give or take a few from my honorable mentions post way back when. Consider it a blessing if you have one of these players, or in one particular case, two of these players. Here we go.

1. Darrelle Revis, New York Jets: There is nobody at this point better than Darrelle Revis is at playing the cornerback position. Not a single soul in the National Football League can touch him with a twenty-foot pole, perhaps even longer. Revis last season was number one in completion percentage against (41.2%) and QB rating against (45.6). Revis only let one touchdown up against him despite the fact that 85 times quarterbacks threw his way. He had twenty pass breakups including four interceptions. When it was the fourth quarter, and the Jets needed defensive stops, Revis was their man. He only allowed 26.1% of passes thrown his way to be caught. Quarterbacks in the fourth quarter throwing to Revis had a QB rating of a miniscule 1.3. Simply put, he’s the best in the game, and for as much as he talks the talk, he sure can walk the walk.

2. Nnamdi Asomugha, Oakland Raiders: Yes, Nnamdi had a very, very tough year last year in Philadelphia. Yes, his game was shown to have a lot of flaws in a different scheme from that he was playing in Oakland. But that does not take away from what has happened for his entire career, and what he should do in 2012. If he continues to adjust in the right direction to the scheme and Scrabble should have a bounce back season. For reference point: just two seasons ago, Asomugha was only targeted 33 times the entire season. That means that, in case you are not following, that is only a little over two times a game he was thrown at. Even with that said, only 39% of passes thrown his way were completed. He also allowed zero touchdowns that season. This is nothing more in my opinion than trying to fit Asomugha in the system than Asomugha deteriorating. I could be wrong, but I hope I am not.

3. Brandon Flowers, Kansas City Chiefs: A lot of people were skeptical when Brandon Carr was let go by Kansas City to head down to Dallas. In all actuality, in my opinion, it was the right move between keeping him and keeping Brandon Flowers. The former Hokie is the better of the two and has been a superior corner to most for the last few seasons. Last year it was a rough start for Flowers but he eventually steered in the right direction and played awfully well for Kansas City down the stretch. He only gave up 53.5% of passes thrown in his direction, which was good for someone who was not playing very well to start off. He is also very good in run support and has missed just 12 tackles in the last three seasons, including only one in 2010. Flowers is not a household name, but he very well should be.

4. Johnathan Joseph, Houston Texans: Johnathan Joseph broke away from the Cincinnati Bengals and helped transform the Houston Texans defense into one of the best last season. Joseph also helped himself, stepping out of the shadow of Leon Hall and gong from one of the better cornerbacks in the league on arguably the best tandem of cornerbacks, to becoming one of the best corners in the league. Joseph only allowed 57.9% of the passes thrown his way to be completed, and quarterbacks had a QB rating of 71.3. With another year under his belt in 2012, Joseph can really take another gigantic leap forward in his progression and his placement amongst the league’s best at locking down receivers.

5. Joe Haden, Cleveland Browns: The Cleveland Browns are not notoriously known for being a great team as of late. However, they made one heck of a seventh overall selection in 2010 when they drafted Joe Haden from The University of Florida. Haden wowed a lot of people when he picked up six interceptions in his rookie year and came away with six pass breakups. He followed that with an excellent sophomore campaign where while he did not record an interception, he had the ninth-best completion percentage against (49.4%) in the league, and his 17 pass breakups led amongst his peers. What also helps his cause is that he is a great tackling cornerback. Through his first two seasons he’s racked up 109 tackles, 11 assists and just four missed tackles. 

6. Champ Bailey, Denver Broncos: The one and only Champ Bailey has done it so well for so long that there was no reason for him to be excluded from this. In my opinion he is teetering on the edge of being a Pro Football Hall of Famer with how much success he has had, and perhaps with the new quarterback Denver has, he could possibly make a long-awaited run at a Super Bowl championship. The three-time All-Pro and 11-time Pro Bowler allowed just two touchdowns all season last year, ten defended passes, and all of this on sixty three pass attempts thrown his way. Bailey is still, while nearing the end of his career, a shutdown cornerback.

7. Lardarius Webb, Baltimore Ravens: Here, I think, is an emerging talent in this league who continues to get better with every down that he plays. Lardarius Webb has spent just three seasons in the NFL, but in those three seasons he has turned himself from a special teamer into one of the best slot cornerbacks in the league. Quarterbacks throwing in Webb’s direction only had a QB rating of 56.2, and only 58.3% of passes thrown his way in 2011. What is more impressive though is the fact that no matter the receiver he was covering, Webb did not allow one touchdown reception on 638 snaps in coverage.

8. Asante Samuel, Atlanta Falcons: Asante Samuel was traded this past offseason to the Atlanta Falcons for a seventh round pick. For the type of player that Samuel is, I think the Falcons go themselves a steal in this situation. Yes, he is a terrible tackler and one of the bigger gamblers in the league. When he is on his game though, and that is more often than not, he is a superb player. Last year he only allowed 29 receptions on 61 attempts for a 47.5 completion percentage. Quarterbacks were not so successful throwing his way, as he picked up a 52.4 QB Rating against, to go along with three interceptions. For his career, Samuel has 45 interceptions in the span of nine seasons and five touchdowns. He has been all-around good for a majority of his career. If only he could have picked up that interception against the Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

9. Leon Hall, Cincinnati Bengals: He spent time on the shelf last year, and thanks in part to the fact that Johnathan Joseph left in free agency, the Cincinnati Bengals suffered tremendously from it. While he was on the field though, Leon Hall was one of the best cornerbacks in the league and I fully expect for that to continue in 2012. Last year he gave up 30 completions on 48 passes thrown for 393 yards and two touchdowns, but he also had five pass deflections and two interceptions. In prior seasons he had much better numbers, and has had a nose for the ball, as evident by his 20 career interceptions. He is an excellent cornerback who I expect to prove his ranking worthy this coming year.

10. Brent Grimes, Atlanta Falcons: The Shippensburg University product spent some time in the now defunct NFL Europe before coming back overseas to play with the Atlanta Falcons. Since that point, Brent Grimes has quietly become one of the top cover corners in the league. Even with his small stature, Grimes is still given a lot of respect on the field. I can recall the game when Drew Brees broke the single-season passing yards record, Grimes was rarely thrown at by one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Last season quarterbacks completed only 44.6% of passes thrown his way (56 attempts) and their rating throwing his way was only 62.9. He’s somewhat of a gambler too, but with size he almost has to be.