Sportsnaut
Who is the best cornerback in the NFL? The National Football League is catered to the passing game, which makes it harder than ever before for cornerbacks to consistently be lockdown coverage standouts. It’s a position that sees plenty of year-to-year volatility, even among the best NFL corners right now.
Let’s dive into our list of the best NFL corners right now as we enter the 2025 season.
Patrick Surtain II is the best cornerback in the NFL. Selected by the Denver Broncos with the ninth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, he’s the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year and a three-time Pro Bowl selection. Surtain doesn’t rack up a ton of interceptions – 11 in 66 games – but it’s difficult to pick off passes when quarterbacks stay away from you. From 2021-2023, Surtain allowed just a 56.1 percent completion rate with a 76.8 average QB rating allowed when targeted in 50 games. Quarterbacks learned their lesson, with Surtain seeing just 3.88 targets his way per game in 2024 compared to 5.28 targets per game in the previous three seasons. He also recorded a career-best in yards per completion (8.6) and yards per target (5.3) allowed, surrendering just 326 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns and a 58.9 QB rating in 978 defensive snaps.
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The Houston Texans picked cornerback Derek Stingley Jr over Sauce Gardner in the 2022 NFL Draft, a decision that didn’t seem wise early on. it all came together for Stingley Jr. in his third season. The 6-foot-1 defender cemented himself as one of the best NFL corners right now, allowing the second-lowest completion rate (47.1 percent) in the NFL among defenders targeted 70-plus times. Notably, teammate Kamari Lassiter (43.8 percent) was first. Stingley also surrendered the lowest average QB rating (51.2) among qualified defensive backs. He’s also a playmaker – 31 pass deflections and 10 interceptions in his last 25 games – who fits perfectly in DeMeco Ryans’ scheme. Needless to say, Houston’s decisions to draft him and recently make him the highest-paid defensive back ever are justified.
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Two of the best NFL corners were taken with consecutive picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. Sauce Gardner’s underwhelming 2024 season highlights some of the year-to-year inconsistency at the position. Last season, he allowed a career-worst 16.4 yards per completion on 58 targets, surrendering 541 receiving yards (36.1 per game) in 15 games after ceding just 10.2 yards per completion and 784 receiving yards (23.76 per game) in his first 33 games. Tackling is a big issue with Gardner, but it’s one we’re hoping head coach Aaron Glenn can change to unlock the best version of this All-Pro corner. While a rough 2024 campaign drops Gardner a few spots in our cornerback rankings, he’s already proven he can be the...
