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10 Best Cornerbacks of All Time: 2023 Edition

best cornerbacks of all time

Who are the best cornerbacks of all time? It’s a position with a high level of skill, a position that needs to produce game-changing plays, and they’re among the highest paid players in the NFL.

Best Cornerbacks of All Time? 

Responsible for covering some of the best wide receivers of all time, these are the 10 best cornerbacks in NFL history.

10. Aeneas Williams

Aeneas Williams is one of the greatest shutdown corners of all time and played the majority of his career with the Arizona Cardinals. Across a 14-year career he earned 8 Pro Bowl appearances, 55 interceptions and returned nine of those for touchdowns. 

The closest Williams came to a championship was a loss in Super Bowl XXXVI. He’ll be remembered as one of the best cornerbacks of all time and was a constant nemesis for Troy Aikman, picking off one of the all time greatest Cowboys players six times.

9. Herb Adderley

Herb Adderley won three championships all within the first six Super Bowls. He had great instincts, was quick, had a great football IQ and is one of the best cornerbacks in Green Bay history. 

So dominant was Adderley during the Packers dynasty of the 1960s, he didn’t allow a single touchdown in the regular season in 1965. In a 14-year career Adderley finished his career with 48 interceptions and 14 fumble recoveries.

8. Mike Haynes

Across his 14 years in the NFL, Mike Haynes made 46 interceptions and featured at cornerback for both the Patriots and LA Raiders. The Super Bowl XVIII champion used his speed, athleticism and physicality to lockdown opposition wide receivers especially on man-to-man coverage. Haynes was also elite as a punt returner and he made mine Pro Bowl teams.

7. Ty Law

Ty Law is one of the best cornerbacks of all time and he had an ability to read quarterbacks thanks to his high football intelligence. Law won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots before stints with the Jets, Chiefs and Broncos. 

Law was a big part of the beginning of the Patriots 20-year dynasty which started in the early 2000s. A five-time Pro Bowler, Law was the 1998 and 2005 interceptions leader and he finished his career with 53 interceptions, seven of those returned for touchdowns.

6. Mel Blount

Four-time Super Bowl winner Mel Blount is one of the best cornerbacks in history. He was a key part of the dominant Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s and early 80s and was effective in either zone or man-to-man.

Blount had both speed and size standing at 6-foot-3, weighing 205 pounds and had a 40-yard dash time of 4.4 seconds. So physically dominant was Blount, the “Mel Blount Rule” was introduced in 1978 prohibiting players from making excessive contact with receivers.

5. Dick “Night Train” Lane

Night Train Lane was known for his ferocity to the point where the league had to make rule changes. A tackle in 1961 by Lane on Jon Arnett by the face mask led to a rule change for the following season. 

Considered a pioneer of the cornerback position, Lane had exceptional perseverance, agility and was a ballhawk. In his 14-year career he earned 68 interceptions with a single season NFL record of 14 interceptions in 1952 which stands for this day.

4. Darrelle Revis

Darrelle Revis is a New York Jets legend and one of the best cornerbacks of all time. So dominant was Revis at shutting down the best wide receivers on the field, his area of coverage was referred to as “Revis Island”. 

The Super Bowl XLIX champion was one of the greatest ever players at man-to-man coverage during his 11-year career and quarterbacks would often throw to the opposing side of the field instead.

3. Champ Bailey

The 1999 NFL Draft seventh pick Champ Bailey had phenomenal natural athleticism and he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.28 seconds at the 1999 combine. Bailey was the best cornerback in his era and was insanely agile, able to stick to the best wide receivers in the league and locking them down.  

Bailey never won a championship, the closest he got being a loss in Super Bowl XLVIII. He holds the current NFL record for most passes defended with 203, and the most Pro Bowl selections for a defensive back with 12. He finished his career with 52 interceptions, 7 forced fumbles and 3 sacks.

2. Rod Woodson

Rod Woodson is the second best cornerback of all time and was versatile, shifting to safety later on in his career. Woodson was a force on defense and had deadly ballhawking instincts, and was a ferocious tackler. He finished his career with 71 interceptions, 17 touchdowns, 20 forced fumbles and 13.5 sacks. 

The Super Bowl XXXV champion earned Pro Bowl selection an impressive 11 times across 27 seasons. He was also the Defensive Player of the Year in 1993 and was interceptions leader in 1999 and 2002.

1. Deion Sanders

Like Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders was a multi-sport phenomenon. Sanders had both speed and agility and he’s the only athlete in history to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series.

Known as “Prime Time”, Deion Sanders is the best cornerback of all time, and he often completely shut down his side of the field. He made back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in XXIX and XXX with the 49ers and Cowboys winning them both.

Sanders made 52 interceptions but it was his unmatched ability to return them for touchdowns which makes him the greatest ever cornerback,  with 22 pick sixes in his career. He earned 8 Pro Bowl appearances and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 1994.

Matt Ieriko

Matt Ieriko is a freelance writer who’s evolved his lifelong passion for sport into the creation of WolfgangSport.com in 2020 – an American sports blog covering the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS and more. As an Australian, he’s always been fascinated with the cultural differences and global significance of sports in America.

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