2025 NFL cornerback rankings ahead of Week 3

• Sauce Gardner back to his best: The Jets star currently ranks first in both PFF coverage grade and advanced coverage grade, while also sitting second in forced incompletions with four.

• Will Johnson is making an impact: The second-round rookie came with first-round talent on tape, and he’s already proving why many had him ranked in the top 20 on their draft boards. Through two games, he’s been targeted 14 times, yet he’s allowed just 57 yards and no touchdowns while recording five forced incompletions.

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If quarterback is the most important position on the football field, then limiting the effectiveness of that player is the most important thing a defense can do.

A team can do this in two ways: It can pressure the passer to disrupt his timing, rhythm and accuracy, or it can shut down the opposing receivers.

Each week, after every NFL game is graded and reviewed, PFF will check in on the top cornerbacks of the 2025 season. These rankings will drastically change over the first month, as one interception, one missed tackle or one deep completion can dramatically alter a player's grade when the sample size is small. But as snap counts rise, the grades will stabilize and we'll get a clearer picture of the league's best cornerbacks. 

Last year, these rankings utilized PFF All-Coverage charting and data to rank the cornerbacks while providing insights into PFF coverage grades and our Successful Coverage Over Expected (SCOE) metric, which measures how well each coverage defender performed above expected on non-targeted coverage snaps.

We grade every coverage defender’s ability to prevent separation, whether they are targeted on the play or not. These rankings utilize play-level normalization and expectation adjustments. After all, matching up with a receiver is more difficult than covering a running back, and playing man coverage is typically more difficult than matching in a zone.

Here are the top 32 cornerbacks in PFF’s advanced coverage grade after Week 2 for the 2025 season.

Best overall coverage defender & highest-graded coverage defender: Sauce Gardner, New York Jets

PFF’s top-ranked cornerback entering the 2025 season, Sauce Gardner has come out firing. He currently ranks first in both PFF coverage grade and advanced coverage grade, while also sitting second in forced incompletions with four. Gardner leads all corners in positive grade rate, lockdown rate, and overall grade. After what some considered a “down” year — simply because he didn’t dominate every category like he did in his first two seasons — he’s quickly reestablishing the elite standard he’s set for himself.

Most forced incompletions: Will Johnson, Arizona Cardinals

The second-round rookie came with first-round talent on tape, and he’s already proving why many had him ranked in the top 20 on their draft boards. Through two games, he’s been targeted 14 times, yet he’s allowed just 57 yards and no touchdowns while recording five forced incompletions. Injuries may have caused his draft-day slide, but his early performance is validating the pre-draft hype.

Most pass stops: Javon Bullard, Green Bay Packers

Slot cornerbacks typically allow a high percentage of targets to be completed, as they often defend screens and checkdowns. That also gives them frequent opportunities to make tackles — and no one has capitalized on that more than Bullard this season. With seven pass stops in just two games, he's on pace to far surpass 2024 leader Devon Witherspoon, who finished with 24.

Lowest EPA allowed per target (min. 5 targets): Derion Kendrick, Seattle Seahawks

Kendrick has allowed -2.042 EPA per target through two games, giving up just two catches on five targets for 13 yards — with no first downs or touchdowns. He’s recorded one interception and nearly had another, dropping a gift from Aaron Rodgers that could have gone for six. While the sample size is small at just 29 coverage snaps, the results speak for themselves.

Top-ranked rookie in Advanced Coverage Grade: Will Johnson, Arizona Cardinals

Our top rookie from last week retains his spot, even after dropping four places in the overall rankings. Johnson ranks sixth in advanced coverage grade and eighth in positive grade rate. As noted previously, he's been heavily targeted — creating opportunities for both standout plays and potential downgrades. In Week 1, only 37.5% of targets against him were deemed open, but that jumped to 71.4% in Week 2. Still, Johnson has been excellent at limiting separation through two weeks.