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Who are the top cornerbacks in NFL history? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Darrelle Revis: known as “Revis Island” for his shutdown abilities in his prime, Revis earned seven Pro Bowl and four All-Pro selections and picked off 29 career passes, winning a Super Bowl in his lone season with the New England Patriots.
9. Mel Renfro: with 52 career interceptions (including an NFL-best 10 picks in 1969), Renfro was a 10x Pro Bowl and 1x All-Pro cornerback who won two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys.
8. Willie Brown: selected for the 1970s All-Decade Team, Brown was a 9x Pro Bowl and 5x All-Pro cornerback who had 54 career interceptions with the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders.
7. Champ Bailey: a true shutdown cornerback, Bailey earned a dozen Pro Bowl and three All-Pro nods during his career, leading the league in interceptions once and totaling 52 career picks.
6. Mike Haynes: a 9x Pro Bowler and 2x All-Pro with both the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Raiders, Haynes began his NFL career as Defensive Rookie of the Year and went on to pick off 46 passes while ultimately winning a Super Bowl with the Raiders.
5. Charles Woodson: the only primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy, Woodson began his NFL career as Defensive Rookie of the Year and went on to nine Pro Bowls, three All-Pro selections, the 2009 Defensive Player of the Year award, and 65 career interceptions, including 11 returned for touchdowns.
4. Night Train Lane: a member of the 1950s All-Decade Team, Lane burst onto the scene as a rookie with a single-season record 14 interceptions and ultimately amassed 68 career interceptions while earning seven Pro Bowl and three All-Pro nods during his Hall of Fame career.
3. Mel Blount: the namesake of the so-called “Mel Blount Rule”, Blount was a physical cornerback on four Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl-winning teams of the 1970s who picked off 57 career passes and was a 5x Pro Bowler, 2x All-Pro, and the 1975 Defensive Player of the Year.
2. Rod Woodson: a ballhawking defensive back with 71 career interceptions (third all-time in NFL history), 32 fumble recoveries, and 12 interception return touchdowns (the latter two are both NFL records), Woodson earned 11 Pro Bowl and six All-Pro selections, and was named 1993 Defensive Player of the Year.
1. Deion Sanders: a shutdown cornerback who also dabbled with professional baseball, Sanders was the 1994 Defensive Player of the Year and amassed 53 career interceptions with eight Pro Bowl and six All-Pro selections; moreover, he won Super Bowls with both the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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