Are CornerBacks More Valuable Than Wide Receivers?

[@AugustineKusiDuah-bk4fr]

Cornerback is harder than receiver no doubt. One problem in the league is that there aren’t a lot of good corners compared to good receivers. So corners don’t have leverage compared to receivers when it comes to demanding for more money

[@urjeetshrestha8565]

Shouldn't it be the opposite? If there aren't many good corners, then their value goes up.

[@AugustineKusiDuah-bk4fr]

@ their value increases but that aint gonna increase their salary. There is no competition with respect to their salary. A good corner like Pat Surtain is being paid 24 million $. Not a lot of guys are being paid to his level. There is no competition to increase their salary compared to the wide receivers. One guy can be paid 30milion today and another 35million tomorrow because of the competition cause there are a lot more good widerecivers. Check the quarterback market too. Quarterbacks used to be paid 30million $ and we thought that was much. Now they are paid 50-60million $ cause there is competition in their markert. One guy breaks the bank, others want to follow suit. You are not gonna see that in the cornerback market. At the end of the day, cornerbacks though very valuable won’t be paid that high compared to wide receivers because there aren’t a lot of them

[@tioluwaoladimeji5712]

I think that's exactly how leverage works

[@ministryofenjoyment1333]

​@@AugustineKusiDuah-bk4frwhilst I understand the point U are tryna make, leverage is quite the opposite. More suitable workers of an elite calibre = more competition for a limited amount of places. The reverse is the case for corners Limited number of elite workers = more competition among organisations for these workers.

[@kingDrAgOnZoRdS]

​@@urjeetshrestha8565 Corners aren't that important 😂

[@janbazuine6636]

There's one problem with cb's. Say you had the litteral perfect cb. So good he would hold Moss to 0 yards. Even with that your defense can still be beaten by just throwing the other direction. A defense is only as good as their weakest link (Which is why defensive players never win mvp). It doesn't matter how good your cb is, he can only cover one guy at most and that is not enough to carry a defense like a top wr can carry an offense (think Fitzgerald on the Cardinals)

[@DeeMedia21]

Thats a really good point. I do think that a similar thing can be said about receivers who usually need a lot more going their way like a good qb and rb. So they both definitely thrive with good teams and situations

[@clian8236]

@@DeeMedia21yes but he just mentioned a receiver that didn’t have a good qb or rb

[@tinastina4293]

@@clian8236 Even the thumbnail in Justin Jefferson is proving he doesnt really need that

[@SnuggieMaple]

This is why Defensive Linemen get paid so much they can affect every play on the line

[@Lonewanderer1738]

Idk man they call elite corners an island for a reason they completely take a way a whole part of the field a lot of the greatest defenses ever had a guy like that and of course other great players it’s a team sport you can make your argument for anyone but it shows up a defense just has a better floor with an elite d lineman or corner and when you have one of both you get some of the best defenses ever look at the chiefs with and without Chris Jones rams with and without Donald the 2017 jags had Ramsey the back to back afc championship jets had Revis now you can make the argument the other way too I’m sure but football is the ultimate team sport for a reason but when we’re getting down to value on defense it’s the elite corner and d lineman you need at least one to make the qb throw quickly or take away a third of where he can throw

[@darrylmcmillan5539]

Back in the day, cornerbacks used to make the most money on the field by far…I remember when the Tampa Bay buccaneers paid Darrel Revis like $24 million for one year knowing he was injured… The man got paid millions just to rehab his injury…. while at the same time your top receivers were only making 10 million…During that timeframe Calvin Johnson was making 16 million per year with the LIONS and Randy Moss was making 9 million per year with da PATS…I think the boy Tyreek Hill flipped the market 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@DeeMedia21]

U might be on to something there. Tyreek definitely had a huge impact on the wr market

[@darrylmcmillan5539]

@ 🎯💯

[@MrAshyKnees]

Christian Kirk and the jags murdered the market for receivers. If he can get 17.5M per year, tyreek, jettas, chase, lamb, etc. can break the bank

[@SnuggieMaple]

Yep

[@harrisontull8377]

the only reason he got that deal is cause it had 0 guaranteed money. They could pay him 24 mil and if he wasn't the same revis immediately cut him with no loss, which is what they did.

[@MrAshyKnees]

Cornerbacks have to do everything a receiver can do, but backwards

[@Archersforeal]

As a Broncos fan, I remember wanting Micah Parsons, but instead we picked Patrick Surtain 2, I was upset at first and especially seeing Micah Parsons win DROTY, but after that I couldn’t of been more happy to see PS2 be our guy, he straight up locks down an entire side of the field and barely needing any safety help, I’m super glad we got PS2 instead of Parsons, while they both are their own beasts, I’d have the best Corner than the best Pass Rusher

[@10thletter40]

Cornerbacks need a D-line that gets to the QB though. All positions need other positions to do their part

[@DeeMedia21]

Not necessarily, it can help but an elite corner can blanket a receiver even wit a bad dline. Qb can have all the time in the world to throw to nobody

[@rodneytillis6358]

@@DeeMedia21even an elite cb isn’t going to win every match up against an elite receiver which is why a defensive line that can put pressure is important

[@williemanuel2996]

@@rodneytillis6358cap a QB can see the a corner in good position and he won’t even throw his was because of his positioning so a elite CB don’t need any help be a good qb isn’t going to throw his way if he’s i n good position on the WR

[@studiedturtle4139]

pass rush/ d line is the second most important position after QB, but you're right It's a team sport

[@2OsNot3]

@@DeeMedia21 yeah no if the qb basically has unlimited time someones going toget open

[@Sailor_sMouth13]

love this take, and this video, i been saying things along this line for a long time, cornerback is the hardest position on the field imo, good work man, keep it up

[@BigBroKuma]

Most cornerbacks need a good pass rush to succeed and many CBs are scheme dependent which is why there are more good receivers than corners rn for example, J.C Jackson going from a man heavy system in New England to a zone heavy system with Brandon Staley with the same thing happening to l'jarius sneed rn. So for the average receiver vs corner I take the receiver and good receiver vs good corner I'd take the receiver for example (DK Metcelf bs Devon Witherspoon) as they are both top 15 in their respective positions. But when it comes to transcendent corners vs transcendent receivers I'd go with corner so for example the example used in the thumbnail of Patrick Surtain vs Justin Jefferson. Or Prime Jalen Ramsey vs Prime Deandre Hopkins I'm taking the corner cause of the value and scarcity of such players

[@Matthew.Morcos]

But that applies to WRs as well, you need a good O Line or your receivers are going to struggle

[@tinastina4293]

Trevon Diggs is the perfect example of your first point too. Without the Cowboys pass rush, he wouldn't have the ability to gamble as much as he did that season. Take away Parsons and Lawrence and Diggs would struggle a lot more.

[@BigBroKuma]

​@@Matthew.MorcosNah the Seahawks O-Line has been absolute buns for the last 3 years and that hasn't really had an effect on their receivers. Or an even more extreme example is Jamaar Chase's rookie year when the Bengals went to the SB despite having a putrid O-Line with Joe Burrow getting sacked 10 times in the divisional round against the Titans and 7 times against the Rams in the Superbowl. Not having a good O-Line may affect some receivers but certain QBs especially at the pro level have fast releases which usually go to their favourite target which means a bad O-Line actually starts benefiting said receiver at the cost of probably more turnovers for the QB on a game to game basis. Like Sam Darnold and Justin Jefferson rn the Vikings pass pro has taken a bit of a hit cause Christian Darrisaw tore his ACL but that hasn't really affected Justin Jefferson's numbers. Overall from what I've seen a bad pass rush affects average corners more than it does for receivers. With an example of this being the Seahawks cause they can't run the ball they have to feed those receivers leading to an inflation of numbers which doesn't lead to wins. Whereas you look at the Browns defense who have an extremely talented secondary and the biggest difference from last year to this year is the pass rush.

[@BigBroKuma]

​@@tinastina4293Exactly bro that's what's been killing the Cowboys this season they got super unlucky with both dudes going down 😭

[@dakotadavey496]

Line both sides of the ball is the most important part of football (QB emitted cause the whole offense literally runs through them) your best db in the league will not be able to consistently guard your garden variety reciever for more than 4-5 seconds. If your pass rush doesn’t get home the offense will inevitably find a hole in the defense.

[@kj_usa2987]

As someone that played football for fun cornerback or middle linebacker was alway my favorite

[@martinconverss2195]

Tbh I think the reason wrs are paid more at the elite level is because you only need one elite wr to be successful. Kupp for instance could line up anywhere so he was hard to lock down even though he was the problem. With corners they have a limited impact on the game. QBs will be pressured having one less target to throw to but it doesn’t matter if your d-line is bad. It doesn’t matter if your other middle line backers are bad. Defense is a one for all vibe

[@christopheraramaki304]

1) CBs need other positions to step up, DL getting a pass rush on the QB. LBs helping over the middle. S over the top. No CB is going man 1 v 1 the entire game completely on his own. 2) position salaries are usually based on the talent pool for each position and how much value they bring to teams. Theres more elite receivers than elite CBs so the WR position gets paid more. 3) offensive players get paid more than defensive players in general and its always going to be that way. QB, OL, receiver vs DL, CB, LB. 4) this same argument could be viewed as if you compared receivers to TEs. You could argue TEs are more valuable due to their versatility and how much more they have to do within an offense, route running, catching, run blocking, pass blocking. Yet for the same reason there's more elite receivers than elite TEs so the elite TEs can't negotiate for as much money as elite receivers.

[@realcoleholland]

The problem with cornerbacks is that their variance is really high-they just lack consistency as a position, and NFL teams are aware of this. Take Sauce Gardner, for example: he had an amazing rookie year, but this season, he’s playing more like what I imagined he would look like as a rookie. It’s just variance, and teams want to pay the right amount given this. However, cornerbacks should still be paid similar amounts because there are fewer lockdown corners than there are good receivers. When Travis Hunter’s time comes, he’s probably going to make $50 million if he’s good because he can play two really important positions and will likely play more at cornerback than at receiver. So that might reset the market

[@tinastina4293]

idk Justin Jefferson is doing quite a bit without a good quarterback and middle of the pack offensive line. On pace for 1600 yards and 9TDs with Sam Darnold. As another person also mentioned, a corner can only guard one guy or one part of the field, a true #1 receiver impacts the entire field. He gets his and makes it easier for everyone else on the offense to thrive. Showing Jalen Ramsey while talking about a corner taking you to the super bowl is crazy talk too lol. He wasn't even close to the best defensive player on the team. That was Aaron Donald. And then you had an offense led by Stafford and Kupp. I do think Cornerback is a HARDER position to play. But a #1 receiver is generally a more impactful player.

[@jacksonklark6119]

Corners are more volatile but they are similarly valuble but get paid significantly less because of their volatility.

[@SnuggieMaple]

The thing with CB’s is they can’t affect really every play like a great WR can a defence has to closely follow a GREAT WR while for the top CB’s they can just throw to the other side

[@bilba5406]

But you just explained how CB’s can affect every play. Top CB forces the offense to go to the other side.

[@SnuggieMaple]

@@bilba5406 That still isn’t affecting every play especially as much as a great WR or great edge rusher

[@luhhburg]

i feel like the amount of corners that are good all around are dwindling as we move forward. You have guys like pat surtain who can do everything at a great level. But other guys are more skilled at one thing, making them a liability at everything else. For example a corner on the titans jarvis brownlee jr. He’s very physical and likes to press, when he doesn’t press he often gets penalized because he isn’t fast enough so he has to hold the wideout. This probably didn’t need to be this long but yeah thats my point

[@EzeBall1710]

Facts about jarvis brownlee jr

[@DarkKing009]

Travis Kelce TE admits cornerbacks are the hardest position to master in the NFL. Because of the reaction speed in addition to positional knowledge and defensive awareness. A lot of retired players say defenses are harder to translate from college to NFL.

[@JoshAllenberg]

Not even watching the video yet, but I agree. A good offense or QB can make a receiver. Man coverage CB is a solo job

[@TheLonnie300]

If corners had overall better hands, then they'd get that BAG. Aint gotta be crazy, just comparable to a pass catching RB would be good enough. Too many times you see a DB drop some of the easiest pick a pro could ask for and miss opportunities to change the game when they have everything else going for them

[@rip-off793]

Great vid, earned a sub

[@DeeMedia21]

Thanks so much bro💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾

[@roronoaDzoro1111]

bro was spitting elite corners not holding out for better contracts will always be a mystery to me

[@MikeyMike0330]

Love your videos bro keep it up💯

[@DeeMedia21]

Thank u bro

[@benoberle9312]

I subbed this was a great video

[@DeeMedia21]

Thank you

[@coreyonjordan5389]

Corners still need a d-line with pass rush or they covering longer than they should…so it’s really not a better situation both require good trenches

[@SB-dd5hc]

On offence it matters how good your best WR is on defence it matters how bad your worst corner is

[@JuJufrfrfr]

The truth is wr's have more value and impact on the game but have more needs. When you get a wr you need to provide him a good qb, good, oline, and good play calling/coaching. Most wr's can make the most out of nothing but still. Meanwhile all a cb needs is good coaching and teamates. Also imo cbs have a more important role and it is the 2nd hardest position. The wr vs cb argument is a hard one to break down honestly tho. A cb needs to lock their wr and read the qb and make plays on the field. A wr has to beat their cb, find soft spots, and make plays on the field. Imo cb is the harder postion and overall is a little less valuable then wrs.

[@Dimezprod]

I think corners are more valuable because elite ones are harder to find. My giants took Tae Banks 1st round and he hasn’t been good and in that 2023 class there have been really good receivers and bust at corner.

[@smurphy98844]

The long and short of it is that CBs help stop stuff from happening and receivers help plays happen. Defense is cool, but if we wanted nothing to happen, then we'd all go stare at walls. If the offense can't move the ball, no one will watch, and that's why receivers make more.

[@symptomofsouls]

Elite corners are wasted without good pash rush and run defense, and 1 elite corner can only lock down 1 elite wr. Elite pass rushers are far more valuable than elite corners

[@aaronsams8605]

A defense needs to be more cohesive than an offense to be successful. Look at the chargers defense this year. Outside derwin James and tuipulotu, there's no standout players unless you're a chargers fan. Two 5th round rookies and a former draft bust are leading one of the best coverage squads around, the pass rush is great, and guys like poona Ford and bud Dupree are eating. That's coaching and cohesion, not standout talent. All it takes to elevate an average offense to elite is a QB and a wr, or a combo of another 2-3 pieces

[@Watchingvideoslikeu]

You can do more with a wideout. You can play a wideout in the slot, on the outside, out the backfield, 9 routes, screens (of all kinds) etc, and literally get them the football 100 times a year, health permitting. With a corner, can I play them at pass rusher occasionally? Can they stuff the run if need be? Yes coverage is nice, but you see Bmore is second in their division with their defensive backfield not playing well, the Commanders second in their division with their defensive backfield not playing well. It’s harder to win without weapons than without a 20 million dollar singular corner.

[@AugustineKusiDuah-bk4fr]

At 6:37 you just mentioned what i said. There aren’t many good corners compared to receivers. Dude, if a corner is very valuable, he won’t have the opportunity to be paid more because there aren’t a lot of guys to compare yourself to and demand more. If i am Jamar Chase or Tyreek Hill, i have other guys to compare myself to and demand more money. For corner, if i am Trent McDuffie or Xavier McKinney for eg and I am due for a contract, I don’t got more guys to compare myself to. So if i am being paid 20mil$, i am just gonna accept it cause I don’t got a lot of good corners to compare myself to. At the end of the day, we need to have a lot of good cornerbacks in the league before they can actually have an increase in their salaries or how much they are being paid

[@youbluethatone1017]

Sure bud 👍🏼

[@timkang6338]

offense can be funneled through one elite wr, but defense can't be ran by one elite cb. as simple as that.

[@JumpinJessE]

I would argue Corners at least need a decent pass rush. Can't give the QB all day to throw.

[@haloplayer439]

Idk if you play or played CB it’s the hardest position on defense and 2nd in the game when it comes to the assignments

[@manncane5827]

Only difference is star receivers sell tickets.

[@connorking3523]

I think you’re conflating “scarcity” with “value” too much. If a position is scarce, that means it’s extremely hard to find high end surplus value from the player you choose at that position. This means that you’re more likely to draft a lame duck at the position which means you’re more likely to not find a great one. The CB position is actually very similar to the TE position. The position is relatively cheap because there are so few elite ones (this then means the franchise tag value for the position is low which means the contract value will be reflected by this). If you hit on an elite player at either TE or CB, you end up making a ton of surplus value off the position. There’s just a very high likelihood that you DON’T hit at CB or TE compared to WR. I think both positions are extremely valuable but I’d put WRs slightly ahead of CBs. I also think you misrepresented the impact that the positions have on each side of the ball. WRs can raise a team’s offensive ceiling/floor, they aren’t 100% contingent on QB play. CB’s are maybe the most valuable defensive position (aside from Edge), and they do impact a team’s defense, but generally speaking there isn’t a 50/50 offense and defense impact dynamic in the NFL. Usually a good offense will be favored over a good defense of a similar level. The relationship isn’t like other sports where offense and defense consistent even each other out therefore the defensive side of the ball isn’t quite as impactful and is more prone to year to year variance.

[@DeeMedia21]

Great comment and i get what ur saying. For me i rather secure the corner back position on my team over the wr position. Their rarity should lead to higher pay. Same thing is happening with running who aren’t paid as much due to the surplus of decent running backs. I think this will definitely start to change more and positions like cb and even TEs will see an increase and salary and value.

[@Honeybread-ox5ho]

Repent and trust in Jesus you will be saved

[@kwablahadjokatse1596]

Edge rushers and LB corps rely heavily on DBs and vice versa 😊

[@bballer7407]

bro looks like travis hunter

[@DeeMedia21]

I aint that rich yet bro

[@aladdinsmonkey7600]

Elite corners don’t stay elite as long as elite Receivers

[@LIlFro-]

Corner backs are more valuable to the team. Wide receivers are more valuable to the brand

[@szefkuba]

Teams just have a higher profit margin on wrs.

[@dantu5377]

There is really only 3 elite cbs, the elite wr will beat all other cbs

[@rajisbigdeek1060]

Literally

[@ethandale8066]

Jefferson does not need a real qb and he definitely doesn’t need a good rb or OL as shown in history of his career

[@DeeMedia21]

Wow

[@98NinjAOrANge]

This isn’t even a question obviously corners are more valuable

[@WesleyC-mn6ln]

corneracks need pressure

[@clampsgiveup9235]

Lamar Jackson ???

[@Matt-og6qv]

No but it’s close

[@willyson6145]

Gardner a bum this year

[@DeeMedia21]

True ngl

[@ayanislam6863]

defense win titles

[@orchel4982]

i agree but a perfect ball and perfect catch a db can do nothing and wrs can win the game in this way but a db cant its just the overall bias tot he offense the nfl pushes for tv