Recently, Pro Football Focus released their list of the top 32 corners in the NFL. Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson came in at No. 31 on the list. On the All Things Covered podcast that Peterson co-hosts with his cousin and former Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden, Peterson disagreed with his placement on the list.
“C’mon, dude,” Peterson replied when McFadden informed him of his ranking on the list. “Now that you said that, you added more fuel to the fire. I love it,” he said. “Now, going into the season, they said I’m the 31st-best corner. That’s still too low.”
If Peterson’s placement on the list, which is otherwise meaningless, adds fuel to the fire as he said and helps him take a step forward and become one of the preeminent corners in the game, then the Steelers should thank the author of the article for ranking Peterson where he did. Peterson’s counting stats last season were solid, as he had five interceptions with the Vikings last season, but he’s transitioning from a zone-heavy scheme in Minnesota to a man-heavy scheme in Pittsburgh.
Couple that with the fact that he’s getting older, entering his age-33 season, and being ranked at No. 31 on the list isn’t all that disrespectful. But Peterson has historically been one of the best corners in the league, a multiple-time All-Pro who’s possessed near-elite ball skills his whole career. But there’s no doubt that the age factor and scheme change could cause him to regress.
Peterson’s role this season is up in the air. While he’s slated to start on the outside, the Steelers have a hole at slot corner with their best option currently looking like Chandon Sullivan, Peterson’s old teammate in Minnesota. That could lead to Peterson sliding inside and playing in the slot, and a corner pairing of Joey Porter Jr. and Levi Wallace on the outside with Peterson playing inside.
There are a lot of ways the corner rotation can shake out, but no matter where Peterson plays he clearly believes he’ll perform better than the No. 31 corner in the league. If that’s the case, Pittsburgh will be very happy with their investment in the veteran. That would be the best-case outcome for the team and player, and it would lead to Pittsburgh’s secondary becoming one of their strengths.
It’s going to be fun to watch how the Steelers rotate their corners this year, and how Peterson performs. Let’s see if he can live up to what he says and play like one of the best corners in the league.
