Thursday, July 13, 2017

Throwback Thursday: Gil Brandt's Best Cornerbacks

To help pass the slow weeks that block the start NFL training camps I've posted Gil Brandt's lists of the best players at each position. The long-time scout has seen so much football, so many players. His views and opinions are fun and worth exploring. Here are Brandt's Best Cornerbacks

31. Eric Wright
30. Josh Norman
29. Dave Grayson
28. Bobby Boyd
27. Albert Lewis
26. Lester Hayes
25. Antoine Winfield
24. Emmitt Thomas
23. Aqib Talib
22. Ronde Barber
21. Roger Wherli
20. Malcolm Butler
19. Dick LeBeau
18. Ty Law
17. Patrick Peterson
16. Darrelle Revis
15. Lem Barney
14. Herb Adderley
13. Jimmy Johnson
12. Champ Bailey
11. Dick "Night Train" Lane
10. Mel Renfro
  9. Richard Sherman
  8. Aeneas Williams
  7. Darrell Green
  6. Mel Blount
  5. Willie Brown
  4. Charles Woodson
  3. Mike Haynes
  2. Rod Woodson
  1. Deion Sanders

There's a strong Raiders presence at the top of Brandt's list. It's a very deserving presence as Willie Brown, Charles Woodson, and Mike Haynes were fantastic football players. Rod Woodson now carries a Raiders connection as well. He's the defensive backs coach in Oakland.

Malcolm Butler at #20 is the biggest surprise for me. He's been excellent since that play in the Super Bowl that put him on the football map. It just feels a little early to put him among the best to ever play.

It's great to see Antoine Winfield get some love from Brandt. He was such an underated corner throughout his career. He was one of the best corners in the game for most of his first nine years in the league yet he didn't make the Pro Bowl until his tenth season. Winfield is one of the best tackling corners that I've ever seen and he was routinely one of the smallest players on the field.

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