2015-16 NFL Pre-Season Position Rankings: Cornerbacks (NFC)

We are about halfway through the NFL's off-season. OTA's have already started. Players are already getting injured. And the 2015-16 NFL season is getting so close, we can hear the footsteps coming up to the door and someone's just about ready to knock. With that said, it's time to look ahead at next season.

Now that NFL rosters are pretty much finalized (besides numerous upcoming cuts of course), it's time to start giving you guys an idea of how your team is shaping up for next season. What better way to do that than to start power ranking the starters at every position on each roster? It only makes sense.

Up next? The guys who are asked to do A LOT on defense......

Ultimate Football Blog's

2015-16 Pre-Season Position Rankings

Cornerbacks (NFC)

KEY NOTE: This is a POWER RANKINGS. That means it's a "what have you done for me lately?" list. This is not an ALL-TIME greatest list. If the NFL commissioner came up to me tomorrow and said:

"Hey, you can have any starting corner in the NFC....who do you want?"


It would (most likely) go in this order.......


(PS: PFF grade means "Pro Football Focus Grade". For those of you who don't know, ProFootballFocus.com is an football analytics website that grades players based on a certain criteria and it's a criteria that I've come to love. It's a pretty simple grading formula to figure out as well. The more negative score the player has, the least effective he was on-the-field last season. For example a "-24.8" grade would be absolutely awful, but a "24.8" grade means the player was outstanding. See, I told you it was easy to figure out)

*Please note that I'm also ranking guys as if I was building a franchise for the future. Therefore, I tend to favor age a lot in these rankings. It's why the Indianapolis Colts traded Peyton Manning when they drafted Andrew Luck. In the NFL, age is KING!

32. Shareece Wright (San Francisco 49ers)

Age: 28

Interceptions Last Season: 0

Tackles Last Season: 50

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -16.4

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -16.8

31. Charles Tillman (Carolina Panthers)

Age: 34

Interceptions Last Season: 0

Tackles Last Season: 10

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 1.2

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: 0.5

30. Brandon Carr (Dallas Cowboys)

Age: 29

Interceptions Last Season: 0

Tackles Last Season: 56

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -11.3

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -9.1

29. Johnthan Banks (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Age: 25

Interceptions Last Season: 4

Tackles Last Season: 43

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -3.9

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -8.8

28. Terence Newman (Minnesota Vikings)

Age: 36

Interceptions Last Season: 1

Tackles Last Season: 69

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -3.9

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -1.2

27. Robert Alford (Atlanta Falcons)

Age: 26

Interceptions Last Season: 3

Tackles Last Season: 28

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -6.5

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -6.2

26. Bashaud Breeland (Washington Redskins)

Age: 23

Interceptions Last Season: 2

Tackles Last Season: 56

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -7.6

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -12.4

25. Sam Shields (Green Bay Packers)

Age: 27

Interceptions Last Season: 2

Tackles Last Season: 40

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -0.8

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -3.3

24. Cary Williams (Seattle Seahawks)

Age: 30

Interceptions Last Season: 2

Tackles Last Season: 57

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 0.9

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -1.0

23. Keenan Lewis (New Orleans Saints)

Age: 29

Interceptions Last Season: 2

Tackles Last Season: 40

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -7.8

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -11.7

22. Brandon Browner (New Orleans Saints)

Age: 30

Interceptions Last Season: 1

Tackles Last Season: 30

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -6.4

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -7.8

21. Jerraud Powers (Arizona Cardinals)

Age: 27

Interceptions Last Season: 3

Tackles Last Season: 47

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 5.5

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: 0.0

20. Tim Jennings (Chicago Bears)

Age: 31

Interceptions Last Season: 0

Tackles Last Season: 49

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 0.4

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: 4.6

19. Janoris Jenkins (St. Louis Rams)

Age: 26

Interceptions Last Season: 2

Tackles Last Season: 55

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -2.3

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -1.5

18. Rashean Mathis (Detroit Lions)

Age: 34

Interceptions Last Season: 1

Tackles Last Season: 46

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 10.6

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: 10.5

17. Eric Rowe (Philadelphia Eagles)

Age: 22

Interceptions Last Season: Rookie

Tackles Last Season: Rookie

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: Rookie

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: Rookie

16. Kyle Fuller (Chicago Bears)

Age: 23

Interceptions Last Season: 4

Tackles Last Season: 54

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -17.2

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -18.4

15. Josh Norman (Carolina Panthers)

Age: 27

Interceptions Last Season: 2

Tackles Last Season: 41

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 5.4

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: 4.6

14. Tramaine Brock (San Francisco 49ers)

Age: 26

Interceptions Last Season: 0

Tackles Last Season: 7

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -3.8

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -3.6 

13. Byron Maxwell (Philadelphia Eagles)

Age: 29

Interceptions Last Season: 2

Tackles Last Season: 49

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -1.9

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -3.0

12. Darius Slay (Detroit Lions)

Age: 24

Interceptions Last Season: 2

Tackles Last Season: 58

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 5.7

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: 6.9

11. Chris Culliver (Washington Redskins)

Age: 26

Interceptions Last Season: 4

Tackles Last Season: 42

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 8.2

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: 8.0

10. E.J. Gaines (St. Louis Rams)

Age: 23

Interceptions Last Season: 2

Tackles Last Season: 62

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 2.4

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: 3.3

9. Xavier Rhodes (Minnesota Vikings)

Age: 24

Interceptions Last Season: 1

Tackles Last Season: 48

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 7.3

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: 3.3

8. Casey Hayward (Green Bay Packers)

Age: 25

Interceptions Last Season: 3

Tackles Last Season: 32

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 8.3

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade:  10.5

7. Prince Amukamara (New York Giants)

Age: 25

Interceptions Last Season: 3

Tackles Last Season: 37

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 2.6

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: 4.7

6. Orlando Scandrick (Dallas Cowboys)

Age: 28

Interceptions Last Season: 2

Tackles Last Season: 58

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 8.9

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: 7.5

5. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (New York Giants)

Age: 29

Interceptions Last Season: 2

Tackles Last Season: 36

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 7.1

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: 7.8

4. Patrick Peterson (Arizona Cardinals)

Age: 24

Interceptions Last Season: 3

Tackles Last Season: 49

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -3.5

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -6.3

3. Alterraun Verner (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Age: 26

Interceptions Last Season: 2

Tackles Last Season: 60

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -0.8

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: 12.3

2. Desmond Trufant (Atlanta Falcons)

Age: 24

Interceptions Last Season: 3

Tackles Last Season: 58

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 9.1

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: 13.5

1. Richard Sherman (Seattle Seahawks)

Age: 27

Interceptions Last Season: 4

Tackles Last Season: 56

2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 17.9

2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: 25.8