NFL training camp is in full swing, and that means the 2026-27 regular season is just around the corner. Every fanbase loves to compare its favorite players to the rest of the league this time of year, and we at Pro Football Network will give you exactly what you want.
The PFN CB Impact Scoring model puts a numerical value on the performance of every cornerback around the NFL. The best part? It’s completely free!
Pro Football Network has these scoring models for every individual position, and we’ll be breaking each of the top performers down before the regular season starts.
A true shutdown cornerback can be a massive difference maker in today’s NFL. The market at the position is resetting, and as a result, there are now five cornerbacks making at least $30 million AAV across the league. These are the 10 best cornerbacks in the NFL based on last year’s PFN CB Impact Scores.
10) Rasul Douglas, Washington Commanders
2025 PFN CB Impact Score: 83.5
By signing with the Washington Commanders in July, Rasul Douglas will now be playing for his ninth team since entering the NFL in 2017. While it’s true he’s become somewhat of a “cornerback mercenary” in recent years, the results have typically been pretty strong, as the Miami Dolphins would attest after his performance last season.
Douglas has long been known for his ability to make plays on the ball, so it’s no surprise he finished in the top 20 with 13 pass deflections last year. He also had two interceptions in 15 games, and his 83.0 coverage score tied for eighth among NFL cornerbacks. Last year marked his third finish as a top-ten cornerback by PFN CB Impact Scoring in the last five years, further enhancing one of the more underrated careers we’ve seen at the position.
9) Pat Surtain II, Denver Broncos
2025 PFN CB Impact Score: 84.1
When you see Pat Surtain II ranked at No. 9 on a list of NFL cornerbacks, keep in mind that this is a ranking of analytical profiles, rather than reputation. Surtain’s reputation is certainly much higher than the No. 9 cornerback in the league, as it should be. But just because the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year didn’t repeat in 2025 doesn’t mean he had a bad year.
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With an 85.0 coverage score that ranked sixth in the NFL, Surtain looked the part of the shutdown cornerback he’s been for much of his career. Though his interception total dropped from four picks in 2024 to just one in 2025, he still only allowed a 66.6 passer rating when targeted in coverage. He rightfully earned second-team All-Pro recognition for his efforts.
8) Jamel Dean, Pittsburgh Steelers
2025 PFN CB Impact Score: 84.7
After seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jamel Dean made the jump in free agency to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers. It should be a big addition for the team, as pairing him with Joey Porter Jr. should make for an exciting tandem in Pittsburgh’s secondary. This rings especially true when you consider how good Dean was in 2025 for the Buccaneers.
Despite missing three games due to injury, Dean still finished last year with a career-high three interceptions. His 84.0 coverage score ranked seventh among all cornerbacks, and his 82.0 playmaking score ranked in the top 20. His allowed passer rating of 63.1 came in the top ten among qualified cornerbacks, too.
7) DJ Turner II, Cincinnati Bengals
2025 PFN CB Impact Score: 84.9
The Cincinnati Bengals had one of the worst defenses in the NFL by PFN Defense Impact Scoring in 2025, but very little of that had to do with DJ Turner II. In his third year with the team, Turner had a career-high 84.9 PFN CB Impact Score, placing him in the top ten at his position for the first time in his career.
Turner was an absolute force when it came to making plays on the ball. In addition to his two interceptions, he broke up a whopping 18 passes, which tied for the second-most among NFL cornerbacks in 2025. Both his 83.0 coverage score and his 85.0 playmaking score placed in the top ten at the position, making him one of just three cornerbacks to achieve that mark in both categories.
6) Mike Jackson, Carolina Panthers
2025 PFN CB Impact Score: 86.0
Going into the 2025 season, the Carolina Panthers signed Mike Jackson to a two-year contract worth just over $5.2 million AAV. He returned the favor by putting together the best year of his career since entering the NFL in 2019. His 86.0 PFN CB Impact Score was the highest of his career, and it was the first time since 2022 he had placed in the top 20 in the league in that metric.
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With a 92.0 playmaking score, Jackson had the highest mark of any cornerback in the league in 2025. He finished the year with four interceptions, and he also tied for the league lead with an absurd 19 pass deflections. Throw in a respectable 75.0 allowed passer rating and an 80.0 coverage score, and you have the makings of a top-ten analytical profile at cornerback.
5) Donte Jackson, Los Angeles Chargers
2025 PFN CB Impact Score: 87.2
Fun fact: Donte Jackson was a throw-in piece in the trade that sent Diontae Johnson to the Panthers in 2024. Fast forward two years, and Jackson is coming off a top-five season at the cornerback position, while Johnson is out of football. Granted, Jackson didn’t achieve that score after being traded to the Steelers, as he had his remarkable breakout campaign with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2025.
Jackson’s 56.8 allowed passer rating ranked third in the NFL last season. He ended the year with four interceptions and 12 pass breakups, the latter marking a new personal best. In addition to placing fifth with an 86.0 coverage score, he also tied for eighth with an 85.0 playmaking score. It was a tremendous season all around for Jackson.
4) Quinyon Mitchell, Philadelphia Eagles
2025 PFN CB Impact Score: 87.4
After just two seasons in the NFL, Quinyon Mitchell is now a first-team All-Pro, a Pro Bowler, and a Super Bowl champion. Not bad from a three-star recruit out of high school who went to Toledo. Mitchell has been everything the Philadelphia Eagles wanted from him and more, as he established himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the league last year.
Though Mitchell hasn’t had an interception in the regular season yet, he broke up an impressive 17 passes, tying him for sixth in the NFL in that statistic. His 89.0 coverage score tied for the second-best among cornerbacks in the league, and his average of 5.1 yards allowed per target also placed in the top ten at the position.
3) Joey Porter Jr., Pittsburgh Steelers
2025 PFN CB Impact Score: 88.0
The Steelers find themselves at an impasse with Joey Porter Jr.’s camp in contract negotiations. Porter is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and with how well he performed in 2025, it feels like something Pittsburgh should get done sooner rather than later.
In 14 games last year, Porter had an interception and broke up 14 passes in coverage. Though his playmaking numbers were solid, it was his consistency snap by snap that gave him such a high ranking. His 57.2 allowed passer rating ranked fourth among NFL cornerbacks, his 5.0 allowed yards per target ranked fifth, and his 89.0 coverage score tied for second.
2) James Pierre, Minnesota Vikings
2025 PFN CB Impact Score: 88.6
It might be surprising to many that James Pierre ranks this high on a list of the top NFL cornerbacks. While his reputation surely isn’t as strong as some of the other players on this list, Pierre deserves a ton of credit for how well he played as a member of the Steelers in 2025, even if he wasn’t a full-time starter for them.
Pierre led all NFL cornerbacks with a 92.0 coverage score in 2025. He allowed just 3.7 yards per target for Pittsburgh, an average that led all qualified cornerbacks. He also led the league with an allowed passer rating of just 41.4; for reference, his rating was over 12.0 points lower than the second-place finisher. Now a member of the Minnesota Vikings, Pierre will look to replicate his success in Brian Flores’ defensive system.
1) Derek Stingley Jr., Houston Texans
2025 PFN CB Impact Score: 91.0
No cornerback in the NFL was more well-rounded than Derek Stingley Jr. in 2025. He had elite ball production and was also a true shutdown corner in coverage, limiting opportunities for opposing offenses on a weekly basis. His first-place finish in PFN CB Impact Scoring in 2025 was the second year in a row he led the league in that metric.
Stingley ended last season with four interceptions and 15 pass deflections, netting him an 89.0 playmaking score that tied for second in the NFL last year. He also allowed the second-lowest passer rating by a qualified cornerback at 54.0, which played a big role in his 89.0 coverage score, which also tied for second in the league. Simply put, Stingley was an impact performer in every sense of the word.
