The NFL Elite: Top Five Cornerbacks In League History

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Throughout the course of NFL history, few positions evolved faster than cornerbacks. Who are the five best corners in league history?

While pass rushers occupy the proverbial head of the defensive table, discounting the work of cornerback seems unwise. Without a doubt, the need for quality corner play in the pass-happy NFL grew. More importantly, playing the position at a higher level, with sustained excellence is a rare feat. With that said, who are the best cornerbacks in league history?

5. Mel Blount (Steelers)

During his fourteen-year career that culminated with a Hall of Fame induction, Blount struck fear in the hearts of receivers. First, with his frame (6’3″, 205), Blount would use those levers to jam, practically maul receivers at the snap of the ball. Despite his height, Blount used leverage to not only harass wideouts but disrupt their patterns. In off-coverage, he possessed the speed to stay stride for stride on every route. Blount anchored one side of the defensive backfield during four Super Bowl victories. Blount snared fifty-seven interceptions. In 1975, Blount became the first cornerback to win the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year Award. Blount’s lasting contribution to the NFL occurred during the 1978 season. The league enacted the Mel Blount Rule, giving defenders just five yards from the line of scrimmage to contact the receiver.

4. Champ Bailey (Washington)

If you watch Champ Bailey’s career unfold, you will see a talented player with a mid-career change. During his prime, thanks to a hamstring injury, Bailey completely abandoned his traditional technique. He eschewed the backpedal, instead favoring a back-to-the-sidelines approach that allowed him to see the quarterback and receiver at the same time, the bail technique. A year after this change, Bailey snatched ten interceptions. Above that, he relished the one-on-one matchups with elite wideouts. In 2009, he did not allow a single touchdown. Now, look at who he faced: Randy Moss, DeSean Jackson, and Chad Johnson. Fifteen years, twelve Pro Bowl nods, fifty-two interceptions. Plus, he batted away 203 passes, which leads all players in NFL history.

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3. Charles Woodson (Raiders, Packers)

Granted, football is a brutally physical game that depends on natural talent. While Charles Woodson possessed that, his innately keen vision, intellect, and instincts land him here. Everyone knows about the fifty-five picks as a corner, the hardware, and the accolades. Yet, Woodson often won the individual battle before the center snapped the ball. Woods would run the route before the receiver could, eliminating the wideout from that play. Additionally, Woodson relished the physical aspect of tackling, sifting through a screen, and blitzing. Woodson changed the fortunes of the two teams. First, with the Raiders, he served as a major cog in their renaissance. Next, his play in Green Bay helped will that defense to a ring.

2. Darrelle Revis (Jets, Buccaneers, Patriots, Chiefs)

In the NFL, where film exists everywhere, fear leads to respect for Darrelle Revis. After a 2011 season that featured four interceptions, and twenty-one broken-up passes, teams stopped testing Revis in his prime.

In fact, eleven of his twenty-nine career interceptions took place after that season. Quarterbacks avoided his side of the field, preferring to force-feed whoever occupied to other side of the field. Revis doesn’t boast the lofty stats of others populating this list. However, scaring quarterbacks and coordinators from looking anywhere near your side of the field is enough to make this list. Remember, some of the better corners will not own interception records as quarterbacks will not try them. Revis could utilize multiple techniques to succeed. Unlike the traditional press, he would get perpendicular and mirror the wideout.

1. Deion Sanders (Falcons, Dallas, 49ers, Washington, Ravens)

People forget how dominantly Deion Sanders controlled his side. Everyone knows about the blazing speed and ball skills that led to fifty-three interceptions. Meanwhile, Sanders’ ability to read the route and try and pull the trigger on jumping a route terrorized quarterbacks. Sure, he could stay stride for stride with the receiver all day. In spite of this, by watching the dropback, Sanders anticipated the route and jumped the pattern. Now, with the ball in his hands, the threat of a pick-six became real. Nine of Sanders’ interceptions ended up going the distance. The embodiment of a cover corner, Sanders’ feet, not just for sprinting, operated on quick routes with equal dexterity. The greatest cornerback to ever play the game.