Through the NFL’s eras, the ability to play man coverage at a high level has separated the best defenders from the rank and file in the minds of many. Al Davis built several historically great defenses on the backs of great man cornerbacks from Willie Brown to Lester Hayes. Deion Sanders’ ability to erase his section of the field without boundary help allowed his defensive coordinators to take all kinds of risks in other areas.
And today, the NFL’s best secondary belongs to the Patriots, who have combined the ideal man coverage defensive backs with a high rate of Cover-0, Cover-1, Cover-2 Man, and certain kinds of combo coverages that allow those players to bring out their best attributes. When you have NFL offenses relying more and more on quick-game passes, one-step drops, and RPOs, playing quality man coverage, especially at the short and intermediate levels of the defense, it just as important as it’s ever been, albeit for new and challenging reasons.
Who are the NFL’s best man coverage cornerbacks heading into the 2020 season — the ones who play with a unique combination of speed, quickness, aggressiveness, and a convenient amnesia to move on to the next play when things go wrong? Based on tape study and metrics from Sports Info Solutions and Pro Football Focus, here are the league’s most efficient defenders when it comes to this highly valuable skill.
Kevin King | Marcus Peters | William Jackson III | Bradley Roby | Quinton Dunbar | Steven Nelson | Tre’Davious White | Tre Flowers | Stephon Gilmore | Jason McCourty | J.C. Jackson
11. Kevin King, Green Bay Packers
Last season, the Packers played man coverage on 32% of their snaps, 18th-highest in the league, but when they did, King was there to make sure it mattered. In 2019, he allowed 29 catches on 39 man coverage targets for 349 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, three more dropped picks, and an opposing QBR of 56.14.
At 6’3″ and 200 pounds, King is one of the better new wave of big, physical press conerbacks developing right now. Aggressive to a fault off the line of scrimmage (and occasionally too grabby), King makes quick slants and drag routes very difficult for opposing receivers, because he has the size, physicality, and short-area quickness to erase those concepts. He will occaionally get lost on the back stem of longer routes, and smaller, quicker receivers can give him fits at times, but that can be said of most bigger cornerbacks, and when King trusts his instincts and doesn’t over-concentrate through the route, he’s just fine. The third-year man from Washington is one to watch.
Kevin King | Marcus Peters | William Jackson III | Bradley Roby | Quinton Dunbar | Steven Nelson | Tre’Davious White | Tre Flowers | Stephon Gilmore | Jason McCourty | J.C. Jackson