Antonio Cromartie loves to rank his top-five cornerbacks, and you should already know who he reserved the top spot for.
The Jets boisterous cornerback plays opposite Darrelle Revis, so he knows good cornerback play when he sees it.
Cromartie penned a solid piece for The Players Tribune, chronicling from honorable mentions to his top five cornerbacks in the NFL today.
It’s a solid group, with more talent than available spaces, allowing for a ton of debate about the list.
Honorable Mention: Chris Harris, Denver Broncos
Aqib Talib, Denver Broncos
Joe Haden, Cleveland Browns
Richard Sherman, Seattle Seahawks
Patrick Peterson, Arizona Cardinals
And finally … Darrelle Revis, New York Jets
To me, to be a true No. 1 corner is to be like Darrelle Revis — a guy who can shut guys down every single game, no matter who it is. I consider him to be the best of our generation.
Here’s all you need to know about Darrelle Revis: He’s a film junkie. He wants to understand everything. He’s a guy who’s been playing at a high level for nine years now, but he’s always willing to learn new concepts and techniques and apply them to his game. He approaches the game every week like a rookie — like a sponge looking to soak up all the information he can. He’s the best in the game, and he’s always looking to get better.
I’ve always been told, “Never be surprised when the ball is thrown your way. Be surprised when it’s not thrown your way.” That’s the mentality that I take into every game, because when you’ve got the greatest corner of our generation on the other side of the field, you’re going to get your looks. You’ve just got to be ready to take advantage.
That’s how you stay the best in the game.
That’s quite the breakdown from Cromartie, but is he accurate.