Ranking every cornerback in the NFC South, from Mike Hughes to Jaycee Horn
Furthering our NFC South rankings, we now turn to the defensive backfield -- specifically the cornerback room -- where several top-tier talents have departed over the past eight months. While the division still features a few established names among the league's best, much of the spotlight this season will be on younger players stepping into starting roles for the first time. Development, depth, and scheme fit will be critical factors in determining who rises and who gets exposed. Teams that can quickly groom their new starters may gain a real edge in divisional play.
Here's how the NFC South cornerbacks stack up heading into the 2025 season:
8. Mike Hughes, Atlanta Falcons
A former first-round pick who struggled to find stability early in his career, bouncing from team to team, has begun to find his footing in Atlanta -- playing his best football this past season.
7. Isaac Yiadom, New Orleans Saints
Yiadom returns to New Orleans this season after his breakout 2023 campaign, where he posted one of the highest forced incompletion rates in the league.
6. Mike Jackson, Carolina Panthers
A physical corner with impressive size, Jackson made his presence felt last season -- finishing third in the league with 12 pass breakups.
5. Zyon McCollum, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
A tremendous talent with rare physical traits, McCollum played the best football of his young career last season, recording 13 pass breakup -- good for second-most in the NFL
4. Kool-Aid McKinstry, New Orleans Saints
A polished young corner whose greatest asset is his patience. His ability to consistently stay in phase throughout a route will be a trait that could soon set him apart from his peers.
3. Jamel Dean, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Dean is a seasoned, physical boundary corner known for his reliability, durability, and consistency in coverage. While not a flashy player, he brings stability to the back end of Tampa Bay's defense.
2. A.J. Terrell, Atlanta Falcons
A technically sound press corner with elite mirror skills, Terrell led the league last season with 14 pass breakup -- further cementing his status as one of the NFL's top cover guys.
1. Jaycee Horn, Carolina Panthers
When healthy, Jaycee Horn is one of the most physically gifted corners in the league. Coming off a breakout 2024 season with 13 pass breakups and his first Pro Bowl nod, the former top-10 pick finally lived up to his potential.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
2025 Arizona Cardinals training camp roster preview: P Blake Gillikin
The Arizona Cardinals report to training camp on July 22 and begin the process of preparing for the regular season, forming the roster and determining starting jobs and roles on the team. Leading up to the start of camp, we will take a look at every player on the offseason roster, their background, their contract, their play in 2024, questions they face and their roster outlook. Next up is punter Blake Gillikin. Blake Gillikin background, 2024 season Gillikin enters his sixth NFL season and third with the Cardinals. He was a rookie free agent in 2020 out of Penn State and signed with the New Orleans Saints. He spent his rookie season on injured reserve and then was their punter for the next two seasons. In 2023, he did not make the Saints' roster out of camp and was released. He signed with the Cardinals in October after Nolan Cooney, who had won the job out of camp, beating out Matt Haack in training camp, struggled to start the season. Gillikin punted the final 13 games, averaging a franchise-record 50.6 yards per punt. He re-signed in the offseason on a two-year deal. Last season, he punted in the first 13 games before injuring his ankle, which sent him to injured reserve and ended his season. He averaged 49.7 yards per kick with a career-high 44.2-yard net average and only one touchback. Nineteen of his punts (50%) were downed inside the 20-yard line, the highest rate of his career. Blake Gillikin 2025 contract details, cap hit He is in the final year of the two-year, $3.7 million deal he signed in 2024. In 2025, he will make $1.8 million in salary with no guarantees. His cap hit will be $2.1 million. Questions he faces, roster outlook He has been both very good and very consistent for the Cardinals since he signed in 2023. He punted better each year. Can he maintain that, and will that ankle injury linger? As for the roster, the Cardinals didn't bring in any other punters to compete in the offseason, so the job is his, unless things go sideways. The punter's job is never 100% secure. But as long as he continues to play at the level he has, he has a spot on the roster and could earn a contract extension. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts. This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Arizona Cardinals training camp roster preview: P Blake Gillikin
Miami Herald
8 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Team president wades into Bengals-Hendrickson standoff
Zac Taylor, Joe Burrow and multiple members of the front office have shown keen interest or become directly involved in contract negotiations between the Cincinnati Bengals and contract holdout Trey Hendrickson. Mike Brown wields a different level of influence as the team president of the Cincinnati franchise. He's wading into the matter as the Bengals and the NFL's sack leader continue their staredown into the preseason. 'I think we are in a good spot. I hope this thing comes together soon. I'm just going to leave it at that,' Brown said in an interview with The optimism is welcomed by the team on the field. Taylor, as head coach, and his face-of-the-franchise quarterback, Burrow, tried but failed to help break the ice during a frigid standoff that became clearer to the public when Hendrickson detailed the weight of the business discussion on personal relationships. Brown told NFL Network his stance on the contract matter is 'the sooner the better.' At issue is Hendrickson's $15.8 million salary in 2025, the last season on a four-year, $60 million contract he signed in 2021. The highest-paid pass rushers in the NFL are all making at least $34 million per season with Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons in queue for what is expected to be a massive payday. Hendrickson has indicated he won't play without a bump in pay and expressed disappointment in the process in mid-May. 'When there's a lack of communication in any relationship, where it's a business or personal relationship, lack of communication leads to animosity, and that leaves my narrative only to me with no clear direction,' Hendrickson said May 13 when asked about whether he wants to remain with the Bengals. Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt nudged the market to a new level last week with a three-year deal averaging $41 million per season. The $123 million pact pushed Watt ahead of Browns defensive end Myles Garrett ($40 million), who jumped the line with a fully guaranteed contract he signed with Cleveland in March. Danielle Hunter (Texans, $35.6 million AAV) and Maxx Crosby (Raiders, $35.5 million) are one rung above 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa ($28 million) Hendrickson had 17.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons. He has 57 total sacks and four Pro Bowl selections in his four seasons with Cincinnati. Hendrickson has 77 career sacks in 110 games (81 starts), divided equally between the New Orleans Saints (2017-20) and Bengals. Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
Miami Herald
8 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Report: Free agent WR DJ Chark visits with Bears
Free agent wide receiver DJ Chark recently visited the Chicago Bears, NFL Network reported Monday. He spent the past three seasons with three different teams after playing his first four campaigns in Jacksonville. Chark was a second-round pick by the Jaguars in 2018 and made the Pro Bowl with a 1,008-yard season in 2019. He caught just four passes for 31 yards and one touchdown in seven games with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024. With NFL teams reporting for training camp this week, Chark said he is still weighing his options. "It depends," he said, per NFL Network. "It will have to be something that makes sense, from a family perspective and also from an X's and O's perspective. Getting up and going to any team just for the excitement -- I'll always love the game, but at this point, putting myself and my family in a great position is what's ideal for me." Chark has 216 catches for 3,100 yards and 24 TDs in 76 games (51 starts) for the Jaguars (2018-21), Detroit Lions (2022), Carolina Panthers (2023) and Chargers. --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
