The cornerback position is one of, if not the hardest to play in the NFL. Playing at a stop-and-start pace, cornerbacks have to mirror the moves of some of the best athletes in the world: wide receivers.
That’s exactly why the best cornerbacks get paid the big bucks, as they can completely shut off an entire side of the field by themselves.
In Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season, there was some great coverage… and some not so great coverage, per usual in the season-opening weekend. With the use of our CBi metrics, we graded out the top 25 cornerbacks from the first week, complete with full analysis, before ranking the remaining 26-75 players.
25) Paulson Adebo, New York Giants
CBi Rating and Grade: 78.8 (C+)
Signed by the Giants this offseason, Adebo got off to a terrific start to his tenure with his new team. The New York defense held a dynamic Washington Commanders unit to just 21 points.
Adebo finished third on the team with seven total tackles (six solo) and a pass defensed while having a big hand in slowing down top Washington wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who caught just two passes for 27 yards.
24) Mekhi Blackmon, Indianapolis Colts
CBi Rating and Grade: 79.0 (C+)
Blackmon was a part of a dominant day for the Colts, as they held the Miami Dolphins’ passing attack to just 133 yards on the day. The former Minnesota Vikings had a good day in his Indianapolis debut, totaling three tackles, two of which of the solo variety.
23) Emmanuel Forbes, Los Angeles Rams
CBi Rating and Grade: 79.9 (C+)
A first-round pick in 2023 who flamed out with the Commanders after just two seasons, Forbes is rebuilding his career nicely with the Rams. Against the Houston Texans, Forbes had three total tackles (two solo) and helped hold a talented Texans wide receiver room to a high of just 32 individual receiving yards.
22) Carrington Valentine, Green Bay Packers
CBi Rating and Grade: 79.9 (C+)
It wasn’t a loud day on the stat sheet for Valentine, who amassed just one tackle, but he played a big role against a potent Detroit Lions offense on Sunday afternoon.
Carrington Valentine’s year two jump doesn’t get talked about enough. So natural in breaking off his Zone while ALWAYS keeping his eyes on the QB. 😤🧀🏈 pic.twitter.com/JjqHR4pCkV
— Packerfan Total Access- Clayton (@packers_access) July 19, 2025
The former seventh-rounder helped aid the Green Bay secondary that held the Lions to just 225 passing yards on nearly 40 attempts.
21) Isaiah Rodgers, Minnesota Vikings
CBi Rating and Grade: 79.9 (C+)
There was concern over whether Rodgers could excel in a full-time starting position instead of just as a nickel, but he dispelled those thoughts with an excellent performance on Monday night. He had five total tackles, three solo, and was out there for a majority of the snaps as part of the Vikings’ lockdown of the Chicago Bears’ offense in the second half.
20) DJ Turner II, Cincinnati Bengals
CBi Rating and Grade: 81.0 (B-)
Turner, a 2022 second-round pick, had himself a day against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. He didn’t make a huge impact in the tackle department, finishing with just two tackles, but he amassed two passes defensed.
Oh, and he also made arguably the biggest play of the game, picking off Browns quarterback Joe Flacco off a deflected pass and effectively ending the game.
19) Mike Hughes, Atlanta Falcons
CBi Rating and Grade: 81.1 (B-)
Though the Falcons lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it wasn’t because of their pass defense. Led by cornerbacks AJ Terrell and Mike Hughes, Atlanta allowed just 167 pass yards to Baker Mayfield, with Hughes also adding two tackles and a pass defensed.
18) A.J. Terrell, Atlanta Falcons
CBi Rating and Grade: 81.3 (B-)
Speaking of Terrell, he had a more impactful day on the stat sheet than Hughes, finishing with six solo tackles, two passes defensed, and a run stuff. Terrell, a first-round pick in 2020, had a big hand in holding star wide receiver Mike Evans to just 51 yards.
17) Donte Jackson, Los Angeles Chargers
CBi Rating and Grade: 81.4 (B-)
The Chargers’ defense stood tall in their season-opening victory on Friday over the Kansas City Chiefs, fighting hard against a Super Bowl-caliber offense. Jackson was among them, as he amassed three solo tackles and one pass defensed. Although the Chiefs’ receivers had success, it was largely underneath and didn’t cause significant damage.
16) Mike Jackson, Carolina Panthers
CBi Rating and Grade: 81.4 (B-)
The Panthers struggled mightily across the board on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars — except for Jackson, who covered extremely well and totaled four total tackles, a run stuff, and a pass defensed. Jackson was a standout performer last season in Carolina and looks to be on a similar path in 2025.
15) Riley Moss, Denver Broncos
CBi Rating and Grade: 81.9 (B-)
As the cornerback opposite Pat Surtain II, Moss gets targeted more than nearly any player in the league. Against the Tennessee Titans, he more than held his own. While amassing seven total tackles (five solo), he also got his hands on two passes, including an incredible pass breakup in which he got beat, never panicked, and made up ground before knocking the pass away.
14) Sauce Gardner, New York Jets
CBi Rating and Grade: 82.0 (B-)
Though Gardner would certainly like to be higher on this list, he had himself a nice day against his former quarterback in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ new starter, Aaron Rodgers. Gardner had two tackles and, in the limited times that Rodgers tested him, deflected two passes, resulting in incompletions.
13) Mike Sainristil, Washington Commanders
CBi Rating and Grade: 82.3 (B-)
A quiet day is often a good day for cornerbacks, and that’s what Sunday afternoon was for the Commanders’ Mike Sainristil. He had just two tackles but built on his standout rookie season by locking down a number of Giants receivers on a day when the New York offense managed just six points and sputtered mightily in the red zone.
12) Will Johnson, Arizona Cardinals
CBi Rating and Grade: 82.4 (B-)
Considered by some to be a top 10 pick, Johnson fell in the 2025 draft due to injury and concerns about a lack of top-end speed.
Will Johnson among CBs on Sunday:
🔒 90.3 coverage grade (2nd)
🔒 3 forced incompletions (2nd) pic.twitter.com/TcL3YmmYaW— PFF (@PFF) September 8, 2025
Though it was just one game, he put some of those concerns to bed in his debut, notching three passes defensed and revealing himself as a key contributor in the Cardinals’ secondary.
11) Jamel Dean, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
CBi Rating and Grade: 82.7 (B-)
Dean was around the ball a ton against the Falcons, taking down ball-carriers with six total tackles and also doing his part in the passing game with three passes defensed. The seven-year veteran has seemingly had to prove his worth every season and is doing it once again with the Buccaneers in 2025.
10) Tyson Campbell, Jacksonville Jaguars
CBi Rating and Grade: 83.5 (B)
The Jaguars’ secondary was phenomenal against the Panthers through a weather delay, holding quarterback Bryce Young to 154 yards passing and two interceptions. Campbell had himself a day, amassing six total tackles, four of which were solo, and helping slow down a talented wide receiver bunch.
9) Josh Jobe, Seattle Seahawks
CBi Rating and Grade: 84.8 (B)
Jobe was among a terrific defensive showing for the Seahawks in their season-opener, as they held the San Francisco 49ers to just 17 points. Jobe, in his second season in Seattle, got off to a great start with two tackles, a pass defensed, and a key interception off of quarterback Brock Purdy.
8) Cooper DeJean, Philadelphia Eagles
CBi Rating and Grade: 85.5 (B)
One of the more underrated players in the league, DeJean is headed for a breakout season with the Eagles. In their opener on Thursday, he finished with five tackles (three solo) and a pass defensed. The former Iowa Hawkeye has a nose for the football, always finding himself around the ball and establishing himself as a true playmaker.
7) Garrett Williams, Arizona Cardinals
CBi Rating and Grade: 87.9 (B+)
Though he wasn’t on the field all the time, as Williams is the team’s nickel, the 2023 third-round pick showed out against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Williams had a nice season a year ago, notching two interceptions, and could be headed for a breakout campaign. He graded out very well in our metrics thanks to strong coverage.
6) Marshon Lattimore, Washington Commanders
CBi Rating and Grade: 88.2 (B+)
Lattimore struggled down the stretch last season as he dealt with injuries. But in the 2025 opener, he looked to be back to his usual shut-down corner self. The Giants managed just six points with star wide receiver Malik Nabers getting bottled up for the most part. That was due to Lattimore’s tight coverage, as he also recorded a pass defensed.
5) L’Jarius Sneed, Tennessee Titans
CBi Rating and Grade: 88.9 (B+)
On a day when the Titans held Broncos quarterback Bo Nix to 176 passing yards on 40 attempts, Sneed was as lockdown as lockdown gets. Along with three tackles and a pass defensed, he repeatedly shut down his matchup while Tennessee put pressure on Nix. If it weren’t for a rough outing by the Titans’ offense, they would’ve won the game.
4) Pat Surtain II, Denver Broncos
CBi Rating and Grade: 89.0 (B+)
The reason Moss gets targeted so much is that Surtain is one of the cornerbacks who shut out one side of the field almost completely. He was only on the stat sheet with a pass defensed, but shut down whoever he was guarding and made Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward look the other way. Surtain is a huge weapon for the Broncos’ defense.
3) Jalen Ramsey, Pittsburgh Steelers
CBi Rating and Grade: 89.2 (B+)
Ramsey played inspired football against the Jets in his Steelers debut, amassing three total tackles and two passes defensed.
Come for the play, stay for the celly 🙌 @jalenramsey | @AaronRodgers12 | 📺: #SEAvsPIT 9/14 at 1 PM ET on FOX pic.twitter.com/R3pPFf9qAd
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 9, 2025
One of which sealed the game and was one of the top plays from Week 1: a huge hit on New York wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who thought he had open space ahead of him before getting hammered by Ramsey and effectively ending the game.
2) Deommodore Lenoir, San Francisco 49ers
CBi Rating and Grade: 90.1 (A-)
Though the Seahawks repeatedly targeted Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Lenoir was a major part in the 49ers holding all other Seattle receivers to just 26 receiving yards combined. Regarded as one of the top cover men in the league, Lenoir lived up to the billing in the season-opener and is poised for a big season.
1) Greg Newsome II, Cleveland Browns
CBi Rating and Grade: 91.8 (A-)
Bengals star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, coming off a season in which he led the league in catches, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns, caught just two passes for a meager 26 yards against the Browns. That was almost solely due to Newsome’s lockdown coverage, as he matched up with Chase and put the clamps on one of the best receivers in the league.
26-75
26) Jaycee Horn
27) Amik Robertson
28) Jaylen Watson
29) Chidobe Awuzie
30) Jarvis Brownlee Jr.
31) Jacob Parrish
32) Trey Amos
33) Trent McDuffie
34) Trevon Diggs
35) Dax Hill
36) Carlton Davis III
37) Zyon McCollum
38) Josh Newton
39) Kyu Blu Kelly
40) Marcus Jones
41) Alex Austin
42) Max Melton
43) Alontae Taylor
44) Jourdan Lewis
45) Ahkello Witherspoon
46) Roger McCreary
47) Tykee Smith
48) Renardo Green
49) Cor’Dale Flott
50) Jack Jones
51) DaRon Bland
52) Eric Stokes
53) Ja’Quan McMillian
54) Kool-Aid McKinstry
55) Charvarius Ward
56) Riq Woolen
57) Keisean Nixon
58) Jarrian Jones
59) Devon Witherspoon
60) Denzel Ward
61) Marlon Humphrey
62) Taron Johnson
63) Kenny Moore II
64) Quinyon Mitchell
65) Isaac Yiadom
66) Nate Wiggins
67) Xavien Howard
68) Cobie Durant
69) Kristian Fulton
70) Chau Smith-Wade
71) Deonte Banks
72) Joey Porter Jr.
73) Brandon Stephons
74) Tarheeb Still
75) Jahdae Barron
