15. Marcus Peters, Kansas City Chiefs
Peters received a lot of attention for the eight passes that he picked off as a rookie last season. That total earned him the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Quarterbacks picked on him quite a bit and he gave up some touchdowns but he never backed down from any of it.
14. Darius Slay, Detroit Lions
In three seasons Slay has emerged as one of most promising young corners in the game. He has a bright future.
13. Delvin Breaux, New Orleans Saints
I'm surprised that Hollywood hasn't already told the story of Breaux's path to the NFL. A serious neck injury in a 2006 high school game appeared to have ended his football career before it even got started. LSU honored his scholarship when he arrived on campus in December 2008. He was never cleared to play but never gave up on his dream. Louisiana Bayou Vipers of the Gridiron Developmental Football League in 2012. New Orleans VooDoo of the Arena Football League in 2013. Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League from 2013-14. New Orleans Saints. An incredible story of dedication and commitment. Breaux is a talented corner with a very bright future and he made it all happen despite all the obstacles.
12. Aqib Talib, Denver Broncos
Talib would be ranked higher if he didn't keep pulling stupid stunts on the field. He's a big, physical, effective corner.
11. Vontae Davis, Indianapolis Colts
Davis is a solid, dependable corner. He gets beat at times but he gets more than his share as well.
10. Malcolm Butler, New England Patriots
Butler has been solid, if not better, since that great play in the Super Bowl.
9. Darrelle Revis, New York Jets
Revis is still a terrific corner.
8. Jason Verrett, San Diego Chargers
If Verrett were 6'1" rather than something close to 5'10" he'd be in the top-5.
7. Xavier Rhodes, Minnesota Vikings
Rhodes is starting to hit his stride. He's a big, physical corner that sometimes plays too much like a big, physical corner. When his techniques are sound he's great. He has two solid games against Julio Jones on his growing resume.
6. Desmond Trufant, Atlanta Falcons
Trufant is an emerging star.
5. Chris Harris Jr., Denver Bronocs
Harris has moved from undrafted free agent to standout corner so quickly.
4. Stephon Gilmore, Buffalo Bills
This might be a little high but Gilmore is one of my favorite young corners in the game. He and Ronald Dardy are an excellent, young corner pair for the Bills.
3. Josh Norman, Washington Redskins
The biggest question about Norman's game right now is how he plays in the Redskins scheme. He was outstanding in the Panthers scheme.
2. Patrick Peterson, Arizona Cardinals
Peterson is one of the most physically gifted football players in the entire league.
1. Richard Sherman, Seattle Seahawks
Sherman is a big, athletic, quick, instinctive, physical corner. He's smart too.
The top-3 can appear in any order. They are separated more by preference than talent. There are a lot of really good, young corners in the league right now. That's a good thing as passing is by far the preferred means of moving the football down the field these days.
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