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All-NFC South Team of the 2020s: Marshon Lattimore among top corners
Here it is -- the final chapter in our All-NFC South Team of the 2020s, and the final positional review of the entire project this offseason. The cornerbacks have had a rough go of it in the pass-happy NFC South, but some standouts have separated themselves from the pack. As was the case with the safeties, all four teams in the division are represented: the New Orleans Saints plus their rivals on the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers , and Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Here's who made the cut.
One key stat we're relying on is Approximate Value from Pro Football Reference , which PFR defines as "an attempt to put a single number on the seasonal value of a player at any position from any year." In practice, that means giving higher numbers to player who start more games, play more snaps, and do more to help their team win by racking up yards, scoring touchdowns, creating turnovers and sacking quarterbacks, and so on. We're also assigning point values to being named a first-team All-Pro (ten points), second-team All-Pro (five points), and Pro Bowler (three points). And then we're adding those numbers together. Remember, these are all-decade teams for the NFC South, which didn't exist until 2002, and only contributions on the four teams in the division factor into our formula. So Drew Brees earning a Pro Bowl nod with the San Diego Chargers in 2005 doesn't help him, for example.
First team: A.J. Terrell Jr.
Team: Atlanta Falcons (2020 to present)
AV: 35
Awards: All-Pro second team (1)
Score: 40
Terrell has some ball skills, getting his hands on 61 pass deflections through 93 games, all of them starts. But his interceptions have been few and far between with four of them in his first two seasons and two more in 2024, with none in his other three years. He's a steady cover corner who doesn't make many mistakes, but he hasn't made enough game-changing plays, either. He's got to start coming down with those deflections and create takeaways.
First team: Marshon Lattimore
Team: New Orleans Saints (2020 to 2024)
AV: 26
Awards: Pro Bowler (2)
Score: 32
Lattimore started the decade strong, but injuries took a big toll on him and ultimately led to a trade in the middle of the 2024 season. Still, he put up 47 passes defensed with seven interceptions in just 56 games. There wasn't a more competitive player at the catch point during his best years with the Saints.
Second team: Jaycee Horn
Team: Carolina Panthers (2021 to present)
AV: 22
Awards: Pro Bowler (2)
Score: 28
Horn's career so far has had more than its fair share of ups and downs, with injuries limiting him to just three games as a rookie in 2021 and six outings in 2023. He still hasn't been able to play a full 17-game season. Even so, he's up to 34 passes defensed in 53 games, and he's coming off a career-high five interceptions last year (as well as back-to-back Pro Bowls). If he can stay healthy, he could run away with the NFC South over the next four years. But only if Chris Olave lets him.
Second team: Jamel Dean
Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020 to 2025)
AV: 25
Awards: N/A
Score: 25
Dean was a quality starter for the Buccaneers while they shuffled the depth chart around him; after Carlton Davis III and Sean Murphy-Bunting, they brought in Zyon McCollum and Jacob Parrish. All the while Dean was steadily breaking up passes (44 of them) and creating takeaways (nine interceptions, three forced fumbles, and a pair of recoveries) without drawing as many penalties or giving up as many touchdowns as his teammates. But now he's left for a free agency deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
More All-NFC South Team of the 2020s
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive line
Edge rushers
Defensive tackles
Linebackers
Safeties
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: All-NFC South Team of the 2020s: Marshon Lattimore among top corners
AllNFC South TeamMarshon LattimoreNFC SouthHereNew Orleans SaintsAtlanta FalconsCarolina PanthersTampa Bay BuccaneersOneApproximate ValuePro Football Reference
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