To shut down superstar receivers, arguably the flashiest and most dynamic athletes on any NFL field, you need the requisite energy to match. You need an elite cornerback, someone willing to step into the ring with a giant of the game and completely shut them down. As the NFL becomes increasingly focused on the offensive side of the ball, the best cornerbacks in pro football history should get an even bigger microscope.
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The men featured in the list below had somewhat unheralded jobs. That’s because the average football fan does not necessarily want to see the defense succeed. They want to see points; they want to see pretty, acrobatic catches; they want defenders to be irrelevant background characters in highlight reels. But these shutdown cornerbacks seldom let that happen. In fact, they created highlights of their own. They were anchors for their respective defenses, often taking on the most difficult defensive assignment while not missing a beat.
These are the best cornerbacks in NFL history, men whose legacies only look better now that the game has kind of shifted away from their most valuable talents.
