In Tolkien’s Odyssey, the heroes are of various races. In the NFL, cornerback profiles are just as varied.
Frodo Tier
So young and yet already the hero of the saga!
Ahmad Sauce Gardner (Jets)
Darrelle Revis (2007-2017) had the reputation of playing on an island: the one where the best opposing receivers became castaways without resources! The Jets franchise has found him a worthy successor with the 2022 defensive rookie.
At the University of Cincinnati, he was already a dominant player and quarterbacks avoided throwing his side: no touchdown conceded in three NCAA seasons! After a fantastic rookie season with 20 passes defended, NFL quarterbacks are now doing the same.
Gandalf Tier
This magician has supernatural powers and his most cult line is: “You will not pass! “. This is also the motto of these cornerbacks.
Marshon Lattimore (Saints), Patrick Surtain (Broncos), Jaire Alexander (Packers)
Patrick Surtain and his 24 passes defended including 6 interceptions (in two seasons) are impressive for receivers to challenge him. Jaire Alexander is less intimidating by his size but just as much by his formidable efficiency!
Marshon Lattimore is the oldest of the bunch with a 7th NFL season on the way. He is also the most physically gifted of the lot: out of 1,784 cornerbacks tested during the NFL Combine between 1987 and 2021, he is the one with the best athletic score!
Legolas Tier
This elven fighter is incredibly agile! Just like those cornerbacks.
Jalen Ramsey (Dolphins), Jaycee Horn (Panthers), Tyson Campbell (Jaguars), Tariq Woolen (Seahawks), Jamel Dean (Buccaneers)
At their respective NFL Combines, Jamel Dean and Jaycee Horn were dazzling. Their physical attributes were then expressed on NFL fields. If he manages to stay healthy, Jaycee Horn could take off in 2023. Jamel Dean has been extended by the Buccaneers.
Tyson Campbell has become in just two seasons a top 10 player in his position: 46% of receptions granted (33 out of 71), 14 passes defended including 3 interceptions as well as 72 tackles in 2022! Chosen only in the 5th round of the 2022 draft (choice 153), Tariq Woolen exceeded expectations concerning him. The NFL franchises were wrong to doubt him because he came from a relatively modest college, thus facing lesser level opponents. Only 47% of receptions authorized and 6 interceptions for his rookie season in the NFL!
When spared from injury, Jalen Ramsey remains the sketch of the cornerback every coach dreams of: tall, quick and with a fighting spirit. Extremely gifted, his self-confidence sometimes exceeds the border of arrogance. For all this, he gets the role of Legolas.
Aragorn Tier
Aragorn has no magic power but his reliability makes him a leader. The cornerbacks below match this character.
Xavien Howard (Dolphins), Darius Slay and James Bradberry (Eagles), Carlton Davis (Buccaneers), Marlon Humphrey (Ravens), Patrick Peterson (Steelers), Michael Davis (Chargers), L’Jarius Sneed (Chiefs), Charvarius Ward ( 49ers), AJ Terrell (Falcons), Kendall Fuller (Commanders)
In three seasons, Xavien Howard has signed an impressive line of statistics: 48 passes defended including 16 interceptions in 47 games! Now with Jalen Ramsey on his opposite side, Dolphins coverage will devastate quarterbacks.
Despite his 32 years, Patrick Peterson defended 15 passes including 5 interceptions in 2022! His character as a leader on and off the field is a reinforcement of choice for Pittsburgh. With 35 career interceptions, he is the leader in this category among players still active! If Carlton Davis struggles to be decisive (7 interceptions in 5 seasons), he nevertheless knows how to prevent receptions: 68 passes defended in 70 games.
Who is talking about Michael Davis? Apart from Chargers fans, few know this player. However, his last three seasons have allowed him to demonstrate his talent with 14, 12 and 15 passes defended! Charvarius Ward, Kendall Fuller, Jonathan Jones and AJ Terrell are also the leaders of their respective teams.
In Philadelphia, the quality of coverage interacts with the quality of pressure. Darius Slay and James Bradberry are among the best soldiers of any army. With 136 balls deflected or dislodged in 147 starts, Darius Slay gets the role of Aragorn.
Gimli Tier
In Tolkien’s work, this dwarf compensates for his lack of size with unfailing courage! Here are some pocket cornerbacks:
Denzel Ward (Browns), Darious Williams (Rams), Cameron Sutton (Lions), DJ Reed (Jets), Devon Witherspoon (Seahawks), Jonathan Jones (Patriots)
Denzel Ward, Darious Williams and DJ Reed are all under 1.80m tall. That doesn’t stop them from being top-flight fighters. Denzel Ward has a record of 65 passes defended in 65 starts! The size of Darious Williams (1m75) should make him a nickel cornerback in the NFL: this smaller player, but more lively, to defend the receivers inside the field. Yet he’s never as good as when he’s lined up near the touchlines!
After two seasons in San Francisco and two more in Seattle, DJ Reed flourished with the Jets in 2022: 80 tackles and 12 passes defended. Necessarily requested because the quarterbacks avoid throwing on the side of Ahmad Gardner, his lack of size does not slow down his skill. The sixth season will have been good for Cameron Sutton with the Steelers. His 15 passes defended including 3 interceptions allowed him to sign a 33 million dollar contract over 3 seasons ($22 million guaranteed) with Detroit.
Devon Witherspoon could in the short term obtain the role of the fighter compensating for his lack of size by his rage to win. Player of average size (1m80 for 82 kilos), the physical dimension of his game is terrifying! Former NFL coach, Lovie Smith (Bears, Buccaneers, Texans) had him under his orders with the University of Illinois (200 kms from Chicago).
He confirmed to ESPN in 2020, the warrior state of mind of this player:
“Nobody plays as physical as him in the team! Devon Witherspoon is a hard worker and an outstanding competitor. »
Éomer Tier
Heir to Rohan, Prince Éomer rages inland just like these cornerbacks.
Daron Bland (Cowboys), Mike Hilton (Bengals), Kader Kohou (Dolphins), Cobie Durant (Rams), Nate Hobbs (Raiders), Avonte Maddox (Eagles), Kenny Moore (Colts)
Before, teams mostly fielded 4 defensive backs. When they removed a player from another position to bring in a 5th, it was a ” nickel training ». This player is lined up inside the court to cover a receiver occupying the area inside the named marks slot.
The evolution of the game in the NFL makes this terminology obsolete! For the past few years, the nickel back has been a starter. In 2022, the 32 NFL franchises defended 12,630 passes with 5 backs against only 3,206 times with 4 backs!
DaRon Bland is the new defensive sensation in the slot. Chosen only in the 5th round (choice 167) by Dallas, his rookie season is a major reason for the Cowboys’ good coverage in 2022: 8th in yards conceded in the air and 7th in number of interceptions (16). Mike Hilton is a regular in this area while French-speaking Kader Kohou (Ivorian) made a name for himself in 2022.
Arwen Tier
A bit of softness in this brutal world ! The Elf princess is as pretty as this player’s story.
Tavierre Thomas (Texans)
Tavierre Thomas is a complete anonymous in the NFL! He was already out of high school where this native of Detroit had not received any scholarship offer from a 1st division university. So he goes not far from his home to Ferris State, at the 3rd level university level in terms of football! Signed after the 2018 draft by the Arizona Cardinals, he was however quickly released during training camp.
Cleveland recovers it in stride where the player will earn his place in the final workforce of 53 players. Much more used in special teams (present in 41% of games) than in defense (1.44%), he is this player capable of contributing to the 3rd phase of this game, as well as helping out in defense if necessary. Its use was the same during the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
In 2021, Houston signs him with a more than affordable contract: $4M over 2 years. If there is still used on special-team (66%), he is also considered a cornerback and then plays 56% of defensive games: 86 tackles and 2 interceptions! Aligned in the slota pass targets him 363 times and he only allows reception 24 times!
THE Ed Block Courage Award is awarded annually to a player from the 32 NFL franchises. It symbolizes exemplary and it is the players who vote to appoint this teammate. The 2022 winner of the Texans was precisely Tavierre Thomas, he who was able to return to his best level after an injury preventing him from playing the first 7 games in 2022.
His character is also an example of wisdom. His career never having allowed him to think that Football would shelter him, he invested his small contracts (on the scale of NFL salaries) in purchases of apartments which he makes profitable via a famous temporary rental application. .
With defensive master DeMeco Ryans now in charge, Tavierre Thomas could burst onto the screen in 2023 and get the money to buy a palace worthy of the Elves.
Orcs Tier
Fearsome in appearance, a single blow of the sword is enough to defeat the orcs! The cornerbacks below are not lacking in quality, but are they as impressive as their looks suggest?
Trevon Diggs (Cowboys), Jaylon Johnson (Bears), Rock Ya Sin (Ravens), Akhello Witherspoon (Rams)
Trevon Diggs is tall and strong (1.86m for 92 kilos) and his 11 interceptions in the 2021 season are impressive. But in three years with Dallas, he has never had a season allowing less than 52% receptions in a duel with a receiver. In 2022, he even gave 65% receptions when the quarterback was aiming for his zone! The Cowboys, however, extended it for $97 million ($42 million guaranteed) during the offseason.
Rated as a physical cornerback upon leaving college, Rock Ya Sin will play for his 3rd franchise in 5 NFL seasons. Holder on only two thirds of his games played, he only managed 2 interceptions in 52 games! Jaylon Johnson was productive with 31 passes defended in 39 games with the Bears. Preventing receptions is precious but intercepting the ball is essential to last in the NFL: only one interception in 3 seasons! In fact, Chicago has been drafting players in its position for two years: Tyreque Stevenson (pick 56) and Terrell Smith (165) in 2023 after Kyler Gordon (39) in 2022.
Tall and burly, Ahkello Witherspoon was chosen in the 3rd round in 2017. Since then, his record is six seasons and only three in 10 games or more. He is certainly not spared from injuries but he also struggles to perform well on the pitch. Only 4 games in 2022 and it was better for the Steelers: 66.7% receptions allowed, 4 touchdowns suffered for 1 interception. In six NFL seasons, he conceded 25 touchdowns while signing only 8 interceptions. Sorely lacking in finances, the Rams are counting on him to be a starter in 2023!
NFL/Lord of the Rings Crossover Cast
– Frodo: Sauce Gardner (Jets)
– Gandalf: Marshon Lattimore (Saints)
– Legolas: Jalen Ramsey (Dolphins)
– Aragorn: Darius Slay (Eagles)
– Gimli: Denzel Ward (Browns)
– Éomer: DaRon Bland (Cowboys)
– Arwen: Tavierre Thomas (Texans)
– Orca: Ahkello Witherspoon (Rams)
