In the NFL, few positions are as unforgiving yet equally underappreciated as cornerback. They’re tasked with neutralizing the game’s most explosive wide receivers, often on an island, yet the spotlight and the money rarely match the difficulty of the assignment. That’s why Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson recently carved out time to give cornerbacks the credit they deserve while reacting to a Top 5 cornerbacks since 2000 list.
The list itself was straightforward: “Darrelle Revis one, [Richard] Sherman two, Champ [Bailey] three, [Stephen] Gilmore four, Jaylen Ramsey five.” Johnson agreed with the names, though at first stumbled on the order.
Sharpe clarified that he’d consider bumping Bailey higher, before adding: “I like it how it is” . Johnson then expressed his bafflement at Stephon Gilmore being so under the radar on an all-time greats list. “I don’t think people understand how good Stefon Gilmore was… Defensive Player of the Year,” he said.
“I mean, for when a DB gets Defensive Player of the Year … ain’t been a whole lot of them,” Unc added.
This recognition from Unc and Ocho matters because, as history shows, few corners have reached the peak that these five have had.
Gilmore, for instance, is a two-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler, won Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, finishing with 6 interceptions and 20 pass deflections while allowing a completion rate under 50%. His ability to dom inate in man coverage, year after year, validates Sharpe’s claim.
Then there is Darrelle Revis, aka “Revis Island,” who needs no introduction.
A four-time First-team All-Pro, Revis’ 2009 season remains mythical: six interceptions, 31 passes defensed, and a second-place DPOY finish, all while shadowing elite WRs weekly. Over an 11-year career, he logged 29 INTs, 496 tackles, and a Super Bowl title with the Patriots, cementing his Hall of Fame status.
Moving on, ranked second in the list is Richard Sherman, the face of Seattle’s “Legion of Boom.”
Drafted in the fifth round, Sherman went on to tally 3× First-team All-Pro nods, 5 Pro Bowls, and 39 interceptions, while anchoring the Seahawks to a Super Bowl XLVIII victory. In many ways, his si ze and length [1.91m] redefined the archetype of a modern corner.
Champ Bailey, meanwhile, still holds the benchmark of consistency for many, and rightly so. With 12 Pro Bowls … the most by any defensive back in NFL history … plus 52 interceptions and over 900 tackles, his career was a masterclass in longevity and excellence. As Unc reminded, “Champ went to like 10 or 11 Pro Bowls… led the league in picks one year.”
Finally, Jalen Ramsey, who is now with the Steelers, represents the new era.
A seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time First-team All-Pro, Ramsey has thrived everywhere he’s been: Jacksonville, Los Angeles, and Miami.
Naturally, Johnson couldn’t help raving about Ramsey, who, unlike his peers, has managed to be world-class across multiple teams:
“Even still to this day… he has a high percentage of times that he wins his matchups. Everybody gets beat, but he plays to make a play, not just not to get beat.”
So all said and done, be it Revis’ suffocating coverage to Sherman’s dominance, or Bailey’s unmatched Pro Bowl streak, Gilmore’s DPOY, and Ramsey’s modern versatility, this list reflects eras of lockdown mastery.
But most importantly, Sharpe and Ocho’s discourse made it clear that cornerbacks deserve far more respect and recognition than they get. Because it’s not often you get a legendary TE and an electric ex-WR fanboy over cornerbacks!
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