• Sauce Gardner retains his spot at the top: After taking the No. 1 ranking a year ago, Gardner produced another solid season to hold on ahead of the 2025 campaign.

• The Eagles’ rookie cornerbacks crack the top 16: Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell powered Philadelphia’s secondary last season and are already among the league’s best cornerbacks.

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Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

We’re continuing to highlight the best NFL players at every position heading into the 2025 season. Next up are the top 32 cornerbacks.

These cornerback rankings are primarily influenced by PFF advanced coverage grade, which takes into account a player’s standard PFF coverage grade (primarily influenced by plays where the defender was targeted), ability to prevent separation, difficulty of assignment and PFF grade on plays when not targeted. Adjustments were made for some players based on their health and snap counts across multiple years.

Be sure to check out all of PFF’s 2025 NFL pre-season rankings (QB, WR, RB, TE, OT, DI, EDGE, LB).

Gardner’s 91.9 PFF coverage grade since 2022 leads the league. He has forced a league-high 46 incompletions and allowed a league-low 0.60 yards per cover snap and 21.4% first-down-plus-touchdown rate over that span.

Unsurprisingly, Gardner’s PFF advanced coverage grade ranks first, as well. While he might not shadow opposing wide receivers at a high rate, he has excelled when asked to do so.

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year has recorded an 89.5 PFF coverage grade over the past three seasons, ranking second among cornerbacks, and his PFF advanced coverage grade places third.

Often asked to shadow the opposing team’s top wide receiver, Surtain has produced at an elite level, as he’s allowed just 0.77 yards per cover snap across the past three years.

Pat Surtain II’s Career PFF Grades

McDuffie, the highest-graded cornerback in PFF’s advanced metrics in 2024, has been highly underrated to start his career. His PFF advanced coverage grade ranks second across the past three years — and first across the past two years — while his standard PFF coverage grade in that span (89.0) places fourth.

The Chiefs don’t ask McDuffie to shadow opposing receivers, but his ability to stay tight in coverage is elite.

After an incredible 2023 campaign in which he led the NFL in PFF coverage grade (90.4), Johnson posted a 74.2 PFF coverage grade and allowed more yards and catches in 2024. But his advanced metrics still pointed to an elite-level season, as he ranked third in PFF advanced coverage grade.

After a poor rookie season, Stingley has generated a 90.3 PFF coverage grade over the past two seasons — the best mark among all cornerbacks.

The 2022 No. 3 overall pick plays a high-risk, high-reward brand of football and threads that needle well, as his 12 interceptions across the past two years lead the league.

6. D.J. Reed, Detroit Lions

Reed has yet to become a household name at the position despite excellent play for several seasons. His PFF advanced coverage grade over the past two years ranks fifth, while his 89.3 standard PFF coverage grade ranks 12th.

Reed has put together six straight seasons of earning a 70.0-plus PFF overall grade.

After battling injuries in 2023 and posting a career-low 63.2 PFF coverage grade, Humphrey enjoyed a mostly healthy 2024 season and posted an 81.0 PFF coverage grade, good for the second-best mark of his career.

He ranked fourth in PFF advanced coverage grade in 2024, and his 6.4% interceptions-per-target rate was a career high.

Benford’s 87.1 PFF coverage grade over the past two years ranks fourth in the NFL, while his PFF advanced coverage grade places sixth. Benford routinely maintains tight coverage and was the glue that held a porous Bills secondary together in 2024.

He has allowed just 0.76 yards per cover snap and has missed only three tackles since 2023.

When healthy, Alexander is capable of contending to be the best cornerback in the NFL, but he hasn’t completed a full season since 2019. Still, his 89.5 PFF coverage grade across the past three seasons is tied for second with Pat Surtain II.

Alexander’s PFF advanced coverage grade is good, but his missed time and the metric’s cumulative nature mean he ranks just 21st over the past three seasons. 

Ward is another player who has struggled to stay healthy but, when at full strength, is one of the best in the NFL.

In 2024, Ward was on a torrid forced-incompletion-rate pace until he faded at the end of the season. He still led the NFL with 17 forced incompletions, and his 80.4 PFF coverage grade in man and zone-match coverage was tops in the NFL.

The highest-ranked rookie from 2024 on the list, DeJean was phenomenal for the Eagles in their Super Bowl run. He ranked second in PFF coverage grade from man and zone-match coverage in 2024 (76.7), third in PFF coverage grade (84.1) and 12th in PFF advanced coverage grade. He did not allow a touchdown on 97 targets.

Witherspoon placed 13th in PFF advanced coverage grade in 2024 and ranks eighth over the past two years. He has also been one of the best run-defending cornerbacks in the NFL. His 90.3 PFF run-defense grade over the past two seasons ranks second, contributing to his eighth-ranked 84.5 PFF overall grade.

After missing most of his rookie season due to injury, Gonzalez started the 2024 campaign slowly before catching fire in Week 4 against the 49ers. He played man coverage at a 50.1% rate last season and earned a 78.2 PFF coverage grade, which ranked ninth among cornerbacks.

The Dolphins’ trade for Ramsey likely hasn’t gone exactly how they hoped when they gave up a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long in 2023, but he’s still been one of the most talented cornerbacks in the NFL.

Ramsey ranked 25th in PFF advanced coverage grade and allowed just two touchdowns in coverage in 2024.

After seeing his PFF coverage grade rise for five consecutive seasons, culminating in an 86.5 mark in 2023, Ward earned the lowest PFF coverage grade of his career in 2024 (58.2). He missed multiple games due to either injury or a personal matter, and the 49ers let him test free agency.

Ward ranked fifth in 2022 and third in 2023 in PFF advanced coverage grade, so expect a bounce-back year for him in Indianapolis.

The top two rookie cornerbacks from 2024 were the Eagles’ first two selections in the 2024 NFL Draft. Mitchell fared better than his teammate in PFF advanced coverage grade, ranking sixth, but placed ninth in PFF overall and standard coverage grades.

Don’t be surprised if Mitchell contends for a top-five spot a year from now, as he finished the 2024 season with 15 forced incompletions (third most).

Consistency is highly valued in the NFL, and there might not be any cornerback more consistent year-to-year than Dean. His worst season resulted in a 72.5 PFF overall grade, while his best produced a 78.9 figure. He ranks 11th in PFF advanced coverage grade over the past two seasons and did not allow a touchdown in coverage in 2024.

Davis will be on his third team in three years but is coming off the second-highest-graded season of his career (72.1).

Although Davis’ 2024 campaign was cut short due to injury, his PFF advanced coverage grade across the past three seasons ranks 10th among cornerbacks. He’ll now form a formidable tandem with Christian Gonzalez in New England.

Woolen gets overlooked a bit in the discussion of top cornerbacks because he hasn’t replicated his rookie success after leading the NFL in interceptions (six), but his PFF advanced coverage grade across the past three years ranks 13th in the NFL. He has allowed just 0.72 yards per cover snap since 2023, the sixth-best rate at the position.

Riq Woolen’s Career PFF Grades

Injuries interrupted Johnson’s 2024 season, but his PFF advanced coverage grade across the past three years ranks fourth among cornerbacks. His 75.9 standard PFF coverage grade in the slot since 2023 places eighth, while his 38 pass stops rank fourth.

Slay bounced back from a poor 2023 season (65.4 PFF coverage grade, 83rd in PFF advanced coverage grade) with a 75.5 PFF coverage grade and a 17th-ranked PFF advanced coverage grade.

The 34-year-old Slay’s best days are behind him, but as his 2022 and 2024 seasons showed, he still has great play left in the tank.

After struggling in his rookie season and missing more than half the year, resulting in a 57.2 PFF coverage grade, Williams was excellent in 2024 with an 83.7 PFF coverage grade (fourth best) and the seventh-best PFF advanced coverage grade.

If he’s able to replicate his sophomore campaign in which he allowed 0.68 yards and the second-fewest yards in coverage, Williams could jump into the top 10.

Lenoir’s first two NFL seasons yielded sub-60.0 PFF coverage grades, but his 2023 season represented a leap in performance to a 74.2 PFF coverage mark and a ninth-ranked PFF advanced coverage grade. His two-year PFF advanced coverage grade ranks ninth among cornerbacks.

Terrell places 16th in PFF advanced coverage grade across the past two years but hasn’t been able to match his incredible 2021 campaign in which he earned an 85.6 standard PFF coverage grade and allowed a minuscule 0.35 yards per cover snap.

He has secured just three interceptions in the past three years but does well to prevent separation.

Horn is talented but has struggled with injuries in the NFL. Despite being the league’s second-highest-paid cornerback, Horn ranks only 23rd in PFF advanced coverage grade over the past three seasons and 23rd in standard PFF coverage grade (79.6) across the past two.

Porter’s 56.3 PFF coverage grade in 2024 doesn’t look great, but his PFF advanced coverage grade is much better (21st across the past two seasons). Better on-ball production may be coming for the former first-round pick.

Another cornerback who has struggled to stay healthy, Campbell has yet to mirror the success he had in 2022, when his 80.7 PFF coverage grade ranked seventh and his PFF advanced coverage grade placed fourth.

If he can stay healthy, Campbell has the talent to be a top-10 player.

After spending eight seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Lewis heads to Jacksonville fresh off the best year of his career (78.2 PFF coverage grade). He ranked eighth in PFF advanced coverage grade in 2024, though he’s had an up-and-down career playing out of the slot.

Murphy has turned a middling start to his career in Arizona into better play in Minnesota and is coming off a career year in 2024 (73.5 PFF coverage grade). His PFF advanced coverage grade in 2024 ranked 18th, as he’s not helped by the Vikings‘ boom-or-bust defense.

Moore is one of the better slot cornerbacks in the NFL, ranking 18th in PFF advanced coverage grade and 21st in standard PFF coverage grade (77.6) over the past two years. He does well to limit separation but has allowed 11 touchdowns in that span, the fifth most in the league.

There were several great rookie seasons in 2024, and Lassiter’s was arguably right behind those of Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell. He ranked third among rookies in PFF advanced coverage grade and 15th among all cornerbacks. He also led the NFL with a 45.2% completion rate allowed.

Bland missed the first 10 games of the 2024 season due to injury after a 2023 campaign in which he broke the NFL record for pick-sixes. His PFF advanced coverage grade wasn’t great, even though his standard PFF coverage grade over the past two seasons ranks sixth.

His 71.4 PFF coverage grade in 2024 was solid, but he failed to log an interception after his record-breaking season. 2025 should be a good indicator of whether Bland can continue his playmaking ways.