All-Time Greatest Cornerbacks in NFL History

The NFL has been around for many years and has seen several talents come and go, some so impossibly gifted that they have changed the course of history. Teams and coaches have been known to build their tactics around the quality of players on their squad and the caliber of quarterbacks they expect to face. As a result, defense is an essential part of any team, so the better the cornerback holds your side, the better the team’s chances of pulling through. Cornerbacks are the last line of defense and they have a lot to prove. Here is a list of 10 greatest corner defenders who have impressed us all with their abilities.

All-time greatest cornerbacks in NFL

10. Jimmy Johnson

While it’s easy to look at Jimmy’s low interceptions and conclude that the player wasn’t a very good cornerback, that would be a hasty and wrong conclusion since he was active at that time, from the 1960s through the 70’s when interceptions many were common and virtually every cornerback recorded 6-10 in a single year, so his low numbers show how terrified quarterbacks sent passes in his direction.

He was drafted straight out of UCLA by the San Francisco 49ers. He was one of the very first shutdown cornerbacks to shape the careers of those who came after him. Not only did Jimmy push the receivers, but he was also a master tactician who could see different moves ahead and adjust his moves accordingly.

9. Willie Brown

Brown spent 16 wonderful seasons in the NFL, winning one AFL championship title, three Super Bowl, four Pro-Bowl, and an undisputed title as one of the greatest cornerbacks of all time. He is credited with inventing bump-and-run coverage, which involves playing rough on the line of scrimmage so that a receiver misses the timing of a pass, then twists and drags behind the receiver as he crosses the field races.

Brown claimed 54 interceptions throughout his career thanks to this technique. The most iconic moment of his career was in Super Bowl XI when he intercepted a pass from Fran Tarkenton and ran for 75 yards to seal a touchdown and victory for the Oakland Raiders.

8. Ronnie Lott

Ronnie Lott is one of the most complete players the NFL has ever seen. He played for the Los Angeles Raiders, New York Jets, Kansas City, and San Francisco 49ers. He was the reason the 49ers could boast that they were more than a team with finesse and back up on the field. As a corner kicker, Ronnie was phenomenal as he could take the line of scrimmage, intercept the ball, cover his teammates and knock off quarterbacks.

He made history in 1983 after making 108 tackles, one sack, and four crosses in one season as a quarterback. His heavy hits in the safety position were vital to many of the club’s victories over several years. He thoroughly enjoyed wide receivers and delivered amazing performances every time. Ronnie was named to the Pro Bowl four times in a row and 10 times overall, 8 times All-Pro first team, and four Super Bowls.

7. Champ Bailey

A look at Bailey’s career stats is bound to leave everyone in awe and appreciation at how much talent the player had even late in his career. He made the Pro Bowl 12 times, the All-Pro three times, 10 career picks and amassed 54 career-ending interceptions. Bailey was a player who had it all. He went from an underrated player to one of the greatest NFL talents of all time.

Bailey practically made the Broncos and led them to victory after victory until the time of his retirement. His finest career moment was when he held Larry Fitzgerald for 19 yards and three catches and failed to pass a touchdown through 80 targets.

6. Darrell Green

Throughout his 20-year career, there were a few things any football fan could count on: rain, taxes, death, and Darrell Green to secure the corner spot for the Washington Redskins. Considering he holds the record for consecutive seasons with at least one NFL interception, it’s hard to argue with Darrell’s place on this list of all-time greatest cornerbacks. He was named to the Pro Bowl team 7 times and All-Pro 4 times.

He is ranked as one of the fastest players in the NFL, so much so that he still recorded a speed of 4.5/40 even at age 50. His most iconic career moment was in the 1987 playoffs when he broke his ribs on a punt return and still outscored the Chicago Bears to help his team on their way to their second Super Bowl victory.

5. Mike Haynes

This 1984 NFL Defensive Player of the Year was drafted as the fifth overall pick by the New England Patriots in 1976. He has 9 Pro Bowls under his belt, 6 for the Patriots, and three for the Raiders. He also won the Super Bowl with the latter. Haynes has 46 career interceptions to his credit, 112 punts for two touchdowns, and a 10.4-yard average; he was named to the All-Pro first team twice.

His partnership with Lester Hayes was one of the greatest cornerback mashups of all time. They complemented each other thoroughly. Haynes utilized his incredible speed, technique, size, reliability, and fluidity to terrorize offenses that came before him. He was so great that he remains a legend in Los Angeles Raiders history, and his former club The Patriots retired his shirt as a way of honoring the years he spent there.

4. Deion Sanders

Deion Sanders is arguably the best-covering cornerback the league has ever seen. His pass coverage is virtually unbeaten. He played for Atlanta’s San Francisco 49ers, where he received the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and earned a hard-fought victory over the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs before their Super Bowl victory. He finally brought his talents to the Cowboys in 1995 and helped them steal the Steelers in that season’s Super Bowl.

Sanders greatly enjoyed quarterbacks crossing him. He practically set the standard for what was expected of a superstar and NFL free agents. Despite being unrepresented, the iconic cornerback has managed to win championships, maliciously market himself and sign lucrative endorsement contracts. Since his retirement, the Cowboys have struggled to find a player to fill his shoes.

3. Ty Law

The law was largely responsible for the Patriot’s stunning success in 2001-2003. He carried the team’s defense on his back straight to the Super Bowl. Wherever he was on the field was guaranteed to be blocked as opposing offenses pretty much knew there was no point in sneaking a ball past him and those who tried failed miserably. His contributions to the team were so important that it led to the Patriots becoming one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of the sport. The team probably wouldn’t have gotten this far if Law mercilessly defended their side without it.

2. Mel Blount

Blount is credited with being the player who popularized and refined the cornerback style of the 1970s, in which the receiver was bumped off the line, knocked off the line each time he attempted a cut, rammed every other time, and rammed into him as soon as the ball arrived. The cornerback had an incredible 4.5-pace and amazing recovery time. His techniques became so popular and widespread that he started an offensive revolution.

He won Defensive Player of the Year in 1975 for the record 11 passes he intercepted for the Steelers. His style of play was so aggressive that the NFL instituted a Mel Blount rule that prevented contact with receivers five yards past the line of scrimmage. Blount, therefore, modified his style to be more finesse-oriented and continued to strike fear into the hearts of the opposition. He had a career-high 57 interceptions at the time of his retirement, as well as four Super Bowl rings. He is certainly one of the greatest cornerbacks of all time.

1. Dick “Night Train” Lane

Night Train was a player who washed his edge ahead of time. He was truly phenomenal from his first season as a rookie as he intercepted 14 passes for two touchdowns. In 1959, he intercepted 10 passes and earned the first of seven selections to the Pro Bowl and three All-Pro picks. From literally nothing, Lane worked his way up to one of the greatest corner defenders of all time.

He made 68 interceptions for 1,207 career return yards, ranking him fourth and sixth in NFL history. He earned his nickname because he had a peculiar habit of ramming his opponents as if he were a speeding train and they were powerless against the force of his might. Some of the Lane Lane records still stand or have only recently been broken. It goes without saying that he is now remembered as one of the greatest cornerbacks in NFL history.