Denzel Ward is still considered one of the best cornerbacks in football, even though he dipped slightly in the ESPN-compiled top-10 list of cornerbacks.
The Cleveland Browns‘ superstar lockdown defender fell to No. 3 on the top-10 list of NFL cornerbacks as judged by coaches, scouts and executives.
Ward was ranked No. 2 on the 2024 ideation of the list. He was as highly ranked as No. 2 on some evaluators’ ballots yet was unranked by at least one voter, which is why he fell to the third spot behind Patrick Surtain II of the Denver Broncos and Derek Stingley Jr. of the Houston Texans.
Why Is Denzel Ward No. 3 on The List Of NFL’s Best Cornerbacks?
Surtain is in a class all his own, and Stingley’s emergence in Houston’s second straight divisional-round appearance, pushed Ward down to the No. 3 spot.
But the case could still be made for Ward, since he led the NFL in passes defended (19) in 2024 — finishing one ahead of Stingley. List-compiler Jeremy Fowler noted his league-leading 26.4 percent ball-hawking rate, even though he only had two interceptions for the second straight season.
“Man coverage ability — premier guy in this area,” a high-ranking NFL executive told Fowler.
Ward has now been named to four Pro Bowls despite compiling just 17 interceptions over his first seven seasons. But he also just completed his first season of 16 games, and if he keeps staying healthy, he will remain among the elite cornerbacks in the NFL.
“Really good feet, smooth, comfortable with the ball in the air,” a veteran NFL defensive coach told ESPN. “He’s been good for a long time. Has God-given talent that you can’t really match.”
Who Are The Top-10 Cornerbacks In The NFL?
After Surtain, Stingley and Ward, the list gets a little unpredictable.
Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner of the New York Jets, a University of Cincinnati alum and the No. 3 player on last year’s list, dipped all the way to No. 5 after his regressive, one-interception, nine passes-defended season in 2024. Gardner was an All-Pro in each of his first two seasons but did not even reach the Pro Bowl.
Quinyon Mitchell of the Philadelphia Eagles, who played in college at Toledo, was ranked ninth on the list.
“His biggest thing is confidence,” an NFL passing game coordinator told ESPN about Mitchell. “He barely played press in college but got in people’s pockets. He got really good at that.”
Though they did not have a top-10 cornerback on the list, the Browns’ AFC North rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, had three outside secondary players named — Marlon Humphrey (honorable mention) and Jaire Alexander and Nate Wiggins in the others receiving votes section.
Here’s the full top-10 list of best cornerbacks in the NFL
- Patrick Surtain II, Denver Broncos
- Derek Stingley Jr, Houston Texans
- Denzel Ward, Browns
- Trent McDuffie, Kansas City Chiefs
- Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, New York Jets
- Christian Gonzalez, New England Patriots
- Jaycee Horn, Carolina Panthers
- Jaylon Johnson, Chicago Bears
- Quinyon Mitchell, Philadelphia Eagles
- Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks
Honorable mention: A.J. Terrell, Atlanta Falcons; Byron Murphy Jr., Minnesota Vikings; Jalen Ramsey, Pittsburgh Steelers; L’Jarious Snead, Tennessee Titans; Marlon Humphrey, Baltimore Ravens; Trevon Diggs, Dallas Cowboys.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Browns Cornerback Slips Slightly in ESPN’s Top 10 Survey, but Still Among Elite appeared first on Heavy Sports.