2024 Pre-Season Rank #20, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #23, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #35, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #54, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #73.

The Rams believed that Jalen Ramsey was the best Cornerback in the NFL, and they went all in to get him during the 2019 season when he was disgruntled in Jacksonville.  Ramsey was the top CB in 2020, adding a second First Team All-Pro, a fourth Pro Bowl, and posting a career-high in Approximate Value (15).  Currently, over the AV/G, Ramsey added another Pro Bowl, First Team All-Pro, and, more importantly, a Super Bowl in 2021, proving the Rams right.  Ramsey claimed a sixth Pro Bowl in 2022 and a seventh with his third team in Miami, which was impressive considering he only played ten games in 2023.

The knock on Ramsey is that he is now on his fourth team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he is still excellent, and he begins this year supplanting the now-retired Patrick Peterson as the highest-ranked Cornerback on the Notinhallloffame Active Football Monitor.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #63, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #52, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #60, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #56, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #57.  Peak Period: 2015-19.

Missing the entire 2021 Season with a torn ACL, Marcus Peters had a decent 2022 in Baltimore, but it was in the shadow of his past glory.  A three-time leader in Interception Return Yards and former Defensive Rookie of the Year, Peters flamed out badly in Las Vegas and is not the player he used to be, and for the second autumn in a row, is looking for work.  It was a quick fall for a player who was once in the Top Cornerback in the NFL conversation.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #34, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #41, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #55, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #55, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #54.  Peak Period 2016-20

It is usually easy to rank former Defensive Players of the Year, but as we are ten years deep into the career of Stephon Gilmore, we now know what we have. After a decent run in Buffalo, Gilmore had an out-of-nowhere DPOY year in 2019 (though it did follow a good 2018), though he has not matched that year since.

Since then, Gilmore has been a hired gun, playing one year each in Carolina, Indianapolis, and Dallas, and after a one-year deal with Minnesota, he is looking for work in 2025.  His veteran presence still makes him valuable, but bouncing between teams could impact his perception.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #11: 2023 Pre-Season Rank #15, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #24, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #68, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #102.  Peak Period: 2019-23.

Watching T.J. Watt rocket through this rank reminds us of how his older brother, J.J., did the same thing.

A Pittsburgh Steeler for all of his eight seasons, Watt has been the game’s top pass-rusher through most of it, winning three Sack Titles (2020, 2021 & 2023), two Tackles For Loss Titles (2020 & 2021), and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2021.  Watt has been so dominant that he was the runner-up for the DPOY twice (in 2020 & 2023), third in 2019, and fourth last year.  He also led the NFL in Forced Fumbles twice (2019 & 2024) and last season joined the 100-Sack club.

Watt is Canton-bound, and the only sad thing is that his bust can’t be beside J.J..