Who are the top 5 Cornerbacks of all-time?

[Jetsfan80]

Leading up to the start of the season, I'll be posting a thread once every day or so devoted to determine the top 5 all-time at each position, as voted on by JN.

I am using football-reference.com's AV (Approximate Value) metric to help compare across eras.  The "Peak AV Average" means the average "score" for each player's among their top 5 performing years in the league, to help establish which players had the high peaks and which players were more of the "compilers" over a long career.  Utilizing a "peak AV" also allows for players with careers shortened by injury to be included.

Also note that AV only goes back so far, so some players from the earliest days in NFL history (primarily the 30s, 40s and early 50s) are, unfortunately, excluded.

 

Yesterday, JN voted on Nose Tackles:

 

 

 

Today, we vote on CB's!

Below are the candidates and their resumes, ranked in the order weighted by AV/Peak AV:

 

1.  Rod Woodson, PIT/SF/BAL/OAK (1987-2003)

• Career AV:  192
• Peak AV Average:  19
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  6
• Pro Bowl Selections:  11
• Career INT's:  71

2.  Deion Sanders, ATL/SF/DAL/WAS/BAL (1989-2005)

• Career AV:  163
• Peak AV Average:  18
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  6
• Pro Bowl Selections:  7
• Career INT's:  53

3.  Dick "Night Train" Lane, LAR/CRD/DET (1952-1965)

• Career AV:  59*
• Peak AV Average:  14
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  3
• Pro Bowl Selections:  7
• Career INT's:  68

* AV was only calculated beginning in 1960

4.  Champ Bailey, WAS/DEN (1999-2013)

• Career AV:  157
• Peak AV Average:  16
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  3
• Pro Bowl Selections:  12
• Career INT's:  52

5.  Aeneas Williams, PHO/AZ/STL (1991-2004)

• Career AV:  142
• Peak AV Average:  16
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  3
• Pro Bowl Selections:  8
• Career INT's:  55

6.  Charles Woodson, OAK/GB (1998-2015)

• Career AV:  163
• Peak AV Average:  15
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  3
• Pro Bowl Selections:  9
• Career INT's:  65

7.  Herb Adderley, GB/DAL (1961-1972)

• Career AV:  130
• Peak AV Average:  16
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  4
• Pro Bowl Selections:  5
• Career INT's:  48

8.  Richard Sherman, SEA/SF/TB (2011-2021)

• Career AV:  114
• Peak AV Average:  17
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  3
• Pro Bowl Selections:  5
• Career INT's:  37

9.  Ronde Barber, TB (1997-2012)

• Career AV:  148
• Peak AV Average:  15
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  3
• Pro Bowl Selections:  5
• Career INT's:  47

10.  Willie Brown, DEN/OAK (1963-1978)

• Career AV:  147
• Peak AV Average:  15
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  5
• Pro Bowl Selections:  9
• Career INT's:  54

11.  Lem Barney, DET (1967-1977)

• Career AV:  122
• Peak AV Average:  16
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  2
• Pro Bowl Selections:  7
• Career INT's:  56

12.  Bobby Boyd, BAL (1960-1968)

• Career AV:  111
• Peak AV Average:  16
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  3
• Pro Bowl Selections:  2
• Career INT's:  57

13.  Darrelle Revis, NYJ/TB/NE/KC (2007-2017)

• Career AV:  110
• Peak AV Average:  16
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  4
• Pro Bowl Selections:  7
• Career INT's:  29

14.  Mike Haynes, NE/RAI (1976-1989)

• Career AV:  138
• Peak AV Average:  15
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  2
• Pro Bowl Selections:  9
• Career INT's:  46

15.  Jimmy Johnson, SF (1961-1976)

• Career AV:  146
• Peak AV Average:  14
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  3
• Pro Bowl Selections:  5
• Career INT's:  47

16.  Darrell Green, WAS (1983-2002)

• Career AV:  152
• Peak AV Average:  13
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  1
• Pro Bowl Selections:  7
• Career INT's:  54

17.  Patrick Peterson, AZ/MIN (2011-present)

• Career AV:  119
• Peak AV Average:  15
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  3
• Pro Bowl Selections:  8
• Career INT's:  29

18.  Mel Blount, PIT (1970-1983)

• Career AV:  128
• Peak AV Average:  14
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  2
• Pro Bowl Selections:  5
• Career INT's:  57

19.  Sam Madison, MIA/NYG (1997-2008)

• Career AV:  104
• Peak AV Average:  14
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  2
• Pro Bowl Selections:  4
• Career INT's:  38

 

Just missed the cut:  Ken Riley, Mel Renfro, Eric Allen, Cornell Green, Lemar Parrish

[CSNY]

Nobody did it better for as long than Darryl Green 

[Jetsfan80]

10 minutes ago, CSNY said:

Nobody did it better for as long than Darryl Green 

If it's all about longevity, then yes, Green is easily # 1.

But in that 20-year long career he only reached the All-Pro 1st-Team one time.  That's telling when it comes to whether or not he was truly elite at any point in his career. 

All 18 of the other guys on the list reached at least 2 All-Pro 1st Teams.  Not saying all 18 are better, but does Green deserve to be in the top 5 or the # 1 spot?  Not for me.  He'd be in my top 10 though.

[shawn306]

Just out of curiosity what were Ken Riley’s numbers ? I know he is way up there on the INT list. Always thought he was overlooked by the HOF because he played in the same ERA as Mel Blount

[Jetsfan80]

3 hours ago, shawn306 said:

Just out of curiosity what were Ken Riley’s numbers ? I know he is way up there on the INT list. Always thought he was overlooked by the HOF because he played in the same ERA as Mel Blount

Per the metrics I used Riley was top 25 but not top 20.  That's more of a reflection of there being a lot of great corners over the history of the league than anything against Riley.  That said, I just added him to the "Just missed the cut" list, as he should have been there when I posted the candidates initially.

Interestingly, Riley's best season in the league was his final one.  At the age of 36, he picked off 8 passes (2 returned for TDs) and earned the only 1st Team All-Pro spot of his career.

[Obrien2Toon]

Sanders

Green

R Woodson

Woodson

Bailey

[JoeFan]

There is bound to be recency bias in polls like this.  I’m pretty sure that many posters never saw the players from the 1960s.  I voted for Willy Brown at #1.  In fairness,however, there was no 5 yard limit to hitting receivers in those days, so this is an apples to oranges comparison.  
In my opinion, the best stretch of cb play ever was what Revis did in 2009, I believe.  He had that stretch where he kept 5-6 elite receivers under 35 yards under current rules.

[Untouchable]

1. Sanders

2. Revis

3. R. Woodson

4. Night Train

5. Bailey

[Maynard13]

Revis was the best cb in football. No one was able to shut down a team’s #1 WR like Revis. He was so good, QB’s rarely tested him. That’s how good he was. 

[Beerfish]

1 minute ago, Maynard13 said:

Revis was the best cb in football. No one was able to shut down a team’s #1 WR like Revis. He was so good, QB’s rarely tested him. That’s how good he was. 

And the reason I voted him ahead of Sanders was Revis was a good run defender and tackler as well in his prime

[GreenFish]

Sanders

Bailey

Revis

C Woodson

Sherman

[Maynard13]

3 minutes ago, Beerfish said:

And the reason I voted him ahead of Sanders was Revis was a good run defender and tackler as well in his prime

Exactly. I’ve seen Deion literally take ridiculous angles to avoid having to tackle ball carriers. He used to hop around the secondary weaving in and out of the play like a rabbit. 

[David Harris]

First team all pros is a good standardization metric.  How many years were you considered the best in the league at what you do. Pro bowls or anything voted on by players and fans holds less weight.  Didn’t know they had All Pro teams way back when.

[PS17]

I know his prime was short lived, but 2009 Revis was the best performance I’ve ever seen from a football player. 

[Hal N of Provo]

I voted this one differently - I’ve seen about half the list play so I voted from them. 
 

If Deion didn't get torched by Tom Waddle or wasn’t terrified of contact, he’d have been my number 1.  His electric speed was amazing to watch.   If you needed 1 punt returned for a TD and could send anyone out, he’s the guy. 

Revis was uncanny in coverage and if his prime was longer, I’d have gone with him at 1 even if Neon Deion did what I said above.   
 

Those are the 2 that were fun.  The rest were very good football players/ HoFers.  

[TuscanyTile2]

[Jetsfan80]

9 hours ago, JoeFan said:

There is bound to be recency bias in polls like this.  I’m pretty sure that many posters never saw the players from the 1960s.  I voted for Willy Brown at #1.  In fairness,however, there was no 5 yard limit to hitting receivers in those days, so this is an apples to oranges comparison.  
In my opinion, the best stretch of cb play ever was what Revis did in 2009, I believe.  He had that stretch where he kept 5-6 elite receivers under 35 yards under current rules.

Yup, the bold is very relevant here.  Being allowed to dry hump receivers up until roughly 2005 made CB play quite a bit easier.  Plus up until the arrival of the WCO, the route running and passing game complexity wasn’t quite as difficult to contend with either.

That said, I still had Night Train Lane as my # 2.  

[Rhg1084]

Deion and Revis are the two best corners I’ve seen in my lifetime