There is one person who stands in the way of a star wide receiver having his way on the field: a lockdown cornerback.
While having quality defensive backs has always been vital, it’s even more paramount in the modern-day NFL, as defenses deploy more nickel and dime coverage to combat multi-faceted passing games.
But still, there are good cornerbacks, and there are great cornerbacks.
Here are the 10 greatest cornerbacks in NFL history.
10. Darrell Green
Few players have a more storied career in Washington than Green, who spent his entire 20-year career in D.C. (1983-2002). Part of two of Washington’s three Super Bowl teams, Green — who was drafted after Super Bowl XVII — was a seven-time Pro Bowler and the 1996 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award recipient. He’s first in Washington history with 54 total interceptions and also the most tenured player in franchise history.
9. Darrelle Revis
Wide receivers went to “Revis Island” with no guarantee of a flight home. A Pro Bowler in four of his first five seasons, Revis averaged 4.7 interceptions per season over his first three years and was the face of an elite New York Jets defense in the latter half of his stint with Gang Green (he played for the Jets from 2007-12). After an injury-riddled 2012 season, Revis was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and then signed with the Patriots the following offseason, with whom he won Super Bowl XLIX. Revis, a four-time All-Pro, returned to the Jets in 2015, logging five interceptions, but he finished his career with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017.
8. Mel Blount
Let’s be blunt about it (insert cringe here): Blount is one of the best players to suit up for a franchise that is tied for the NFL-record with six Super Bowls, that being the Steelers. After a plausible start to his career, Blount began to emphatically bang the drum in 1975, when he led the NFL with 11 interceptions, followed by a pair of six-pick seasons. Blount, who spent his whole 14-year career in Pittsburgh (1970-83), was part of four Steelers Super Bowl teams and is first in franchise history with 57 career interceptions.
7. Mel Renfro
Renfro, who spent his entire career in Dallas (1964-77), is one of the best players to ever put on a Cowboys uniform. In Renfro’s rookie season, he registered seven interceptions and had another 10 in 1969. A Pro Bowler in each of his first 10 seasons, Renfro was part of two Dallas Super Bowl teams, including his final season. He’s first in Cowboys history with 52 interceptions and was a 10-time Pro Bowler. Before being drafted by the Cowboys, Renfro played both cornerback and running back at Oregon.
6. Mike Haynes
Haynes equally split his 14-year career with the New England Patriots (1976-82) and Raiders (1983-89) and had a profound impact on both franchises. A Pro Bowler in each of his first five seasons, Haynes recorded eight interceptions in his rookie season and averaged 6.3 interceptions per season from 1976-78. He then won Super Bowl XVIII in his first season with the Raiders (1983) and recorded an interception in said game, though he didn’t play until Week 12 of the regular season. Haynes got back on track the ensuing season, reeling in six picks, running one back for a touchdown and running the six interceptions back for a combined 220 yards.
5. Charles Woodson
After lining up at both cornerback and wide receiver at Michigan, Woodson was a primary corner in the NFL, who then returned punts later in his career. A Pro Bowler in each of his first four seasons, Woodson was part of a Raiders team that appeared in Super Bowl XXXVII and then won Super Bowl XLV with the Green Bay Packers. Woodson led the NFL in interceptions twice, both times coming with the Packers, including picking off nine passes and running back three for scores in 2009. He finished his career as a safety with the Raiders, registering five interceptions in his final season (2015). Woodson is tied with Ken Riley for the fifth-most interceptions in league history with 65.
4. Champ Bailey
Bailey quickly established himself as one of the best defensive backs in the sport with Washington, earning Pro Bowl honors in four of his first five seasons. Then, his production exploded upon being acquired by the Denver Broncos in 2004, logging eight interceptions — two of which he ran back for touchdowns — in 2005 and then an NFL-high 10 picks in 2006. Bailey finished his career with an NFL-record 203 passes defended. He was a three-time All-Pro and a 12-time Pro Bowler across 15 seasons.
3. Dick “Night Train” Lane
One could take the “Night Train” if they desired, but they had to pay the price for doing so. In Lane’s rookie season with the Los Angeles Rams (1952), he logged an absurd 14 interceptions — which stands as the NFL record for a single season — and then had 10 picks in his third NFL season (1954). After a two-year stint with the Rams and a six-year stint with the Arizona Cardinals, Lane spent the final six seasons of his career with the Detroit Lions, with whom he was a Pro Bowler in his first three seasons (1960-62). Lane, who served four years in the U.S. Army, is fourth in league history with 68 interceptions and was a seven-time Pro Bowler.
2. Rod Woodson
While he also had stints with the 49ers and Oakland Raiders, Woodson balled out on both sides of the historical AFC North rivalry between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. Woodson averaged 3.8 interceptions per season across his 10 years with the Steelers (1987-96) and five interceptions per season across his four years with the Ravens (1998-2001). Furthermore, Woodson led the league with eight interceptions in 2002 with the Raiders in what was his penultimate season. Woodson ran back an NFL-record 12 interceptions for scores and is third in league history with 71 career interceptions.
1. Deion Sanders
Sanders has a case for being the best athlete in the history of American sports, as he shined as a cornerback and also held his own in MLB. Sticking with football, though, Sanders was something else in the defensive backfield. In his rookie season with the Atlanta Falcons (1989), Sanders logged five interceptions. The following year, he recorded two pick-sixes and had three pick-sixes and six interceptions as a whole in his first season with the San Francisco 49ers (1994). Sanders won the Super Bowl in back-to-back years, doing so with the 49ers in the 1994 season and the Dallas Cowboys in the 1995 season. He finished his 14-year NFL career with 53 interceptions and six All-Pro honors.
Honorable mentions:
- Ronde Barber
- Richard Sherman
- Aeneas Williams
- Herb Adderley
- Lester Hayes
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