AFC West cornerback trios ranked from worst to best in 2023

Which teams in the AFC West have the best cornerback trios ahead of the 2023 NFL season? At this point in time, this might be one of the clearest pecking orders in the division, outside of perhaps the QB position.

The Denver Broncos have some outstanding young cornerbacks as well as some solid veterans, and they stack up quite well not only against the rest of the AFC West but also against other cornerback units in the NFL. But are they the best in the division?

Ranking every AFC West cornerback trio from worst to best in 2023

4. Las Vegas Raiders

Nate Hobbs, Duke Shelley, David Long Jr.

Forget having one of the worst cornerback trios in the AFC West, the Las Vegas Raiders might have the worst trios of cornerbacks in the entire NFL. To his credit, however, Nate Hobbs has quickly developed into a very good player at the NFL level and has been outstanding from the slot.

A former fifth-round pick out of Illinois, Hobbs is a tough, physical corner who is not afraid to come up in run support and can even put some pressure on the quarterback. He has 146 tackles and five QB hits in his first two NFL seasons along with six tackles for loss and a pair of forced fumbles, but he doesn't have many plays on the ball. He has just seven passes broken up and one interception in two seasons with the Raiders.

Duke Shelley and David Long Jr. come over to join the Raiders' secondary this season after they were part-time starters in Minnesota and Los Angeles last year, respectively. Although those guys have been solid in their NFL careers, it's going to take a pretty significant jump for either of them this season to get this unit ranked above 4th-best in the division.

3. Los Angeles Chargers

Asante Samuel Jr., JC Jackson, Michael Davis

The Los Angeles Chargers have a really good trio of cornerbacks heading into the 2023 season, which should give you a great indication of just how strong this division is at the position.

Asante Samuel Jr. might only be the second-most prominent NFL legacy at the cornerback position in the AFC West (behind Denver Broncos superstar Pat Surtain II), but he's been pretty solid in his own right. Certainly not to the level of Pat Surtain II, but especially when playing in zone coverage, Samuel has been a good player. In his first two NFL seasons, he's got four interceptions and 22 passes broken up along with 100 total tackles.

Michael Davis might be the underrated gem of the Chargers' cornerback room considering Asante Samuel Jr. is the biggest name and JC Jackson is really the crown jewel in terms of price tag.

Davis has made a lot of plays on the ball over the last handful of seasons, including 41 passes broken up in his last three campaigns along with five interceptions in that timeframe. He's a big body on the outside and has been a trustworthy player for the Chargers. He was also a one-time Denver Broncos free agent of interest...

JC Jackson suffered an injury last year that limited him to just five games. Prior to coming to the Chargers in free agency, Jackson had picked off 17 passes in his first three NFL seasons as a member of the New England Patriots. He got his hands on the ball a whopping 23 times in 2021 but only managed a pair of passes defensed in his first five games with the Chargers before landing on IR.

I think what the Chargers have here is a few really solid players and one with now a major injury red flag. If this unit reaches its full potential, I think it's better than the average NFL cornerback trio, but probably not going to have any All-Pros.

2. Kansas City Chiefs

L'Jarius Sneed, Jaylon Watson, Trent McDuffie

Unfortunately, L'Jarius Sneed has developed into one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL over the last handful of seasons, and one of the NFL's most underrated players overall. There are few other non-QBs on the Kansas City Chiefs that I would rather steal to come over to the Denver Broncos besides Sneed. He's got such a great feel for the game, and such a knack for creating turnovers.

Sneed's first three NFL seasons have been extremely productive. He has 163 total tackles, 10 QB hits, 6.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, 8 interceptions, 4 forced fumbles, and 20 total QB pressures. The folks over at Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 26th-best CB in the league:

"Sneed has been the Chiefs' best cornerback since he was drafted in the fourth round in 2020, though he may need to make way now for Trent McDuffie. Sneed has played outside and in the slot for Kansas City and notched more than 40 defensive stops in each of the past two seasons, including the playoffs."

Pro Football Focus

Speaking of McDuffie, he was a player I really liked a lot coming out of last year's draft. He ended up breaking up seven passes in his first 11 games with the Chiefs, showing solid ball skills and obvious athletic ability that adds another dynamic to a very fast Chiefs defense.

The Chiefs landed a couple of serious talents at the cornerback position in the 2022 NFL Draft with not only McDuffie coming in as a first-round pick, but then Jaylen Watson all the way down in the 7th round. The former Washington State star was a pre-draft favorite of some in the NFL Draft community and he was one of the best late-round picks for any team last year, playing in 16 regular season games for the Chiefs, starting six, and picking off a pass while adding six passes broken up, three tackles for loss, and 49 total tackles.

Between these three, I think the Chiefs obviously have one of the most talented, athletic, and best up-and-coming cornerback groups in the NFL.

But it's not the best group in the AFC West.

1. Denver Broncos

Pat Surtain II, Damarri Mathis, K'Waun Williams

Although this could be perceived as being weighted heavily on just Pat Surtain II, it's really not. The Denver Broncos clearly have the best group of cornerbacks in the NFL right now and Surtain is simply the centerpiece of it all.

There's not really enough hyperbole you can use to describe Surtain. He's a technician out there, a player you can place Champ Bailey-level confidence in, just knowing he's always going to be doing his job at a high level. He was properly recognized last year as an All-Pro and he's only going to keep getting better.

In addition to the development of Surtain, the former 9th overall pick in the NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos found a diamond on day three of the 2022 NFL Draft with fourth-round pick Damarri Mathis, who ended up as the primary starter on the opposite side of the field from Surtain last season. Ronald Darby went down with an injury early in the season, giving way to Mathis, who looked like he belonged out there.

Mathis had 65 total tackles and 7 passes broken up in his rookie year, proving he could be trusted on the outside in some tough matchups. Despite being called for some questionable penalties in one of his first starts, Mathis showed he has the type of confidence to come back and make a clutch play like this late in the game:

K'Waun Williams is the grizzled veteran of this Denver Broncos cornerback trio, and he proved last year that he's still one of the top 10 slot corners in the league. Williams played injured at times throughout the season and even sealed the Denver Broncos' London win over Jacksonville with an interception while wearing a huge club on one arm.

This trio of cornerbacks will need to have more ball production in 2023, but I think they are clearly the best in the AFC West as of right now.