The Shutdown Corner is going extinct. The term, which originated in the ‘90s with Deion Sanders taking No. 1 receivers completely out of games, is used quite frequently in today’s NFL, to the point where the mantle has lost its value.

There have been three true shutdown corners in the modern history of the NFL. They are Sanders, Champ Bailey and Darrelle Revis during his first stint with the Jets. End of list.

That’s not to say there’s a lack of talent at the cornerback position. The opposite is true, actually. You can find young, talented corners across the league. But the way the game is played today, along with the strategies offensive play-callers have devised (stack alignments, pick routes, bunch sets, etc), has made it nearly impossible for corners to not only travel with top receivers but also, as the title implies, shut them down. The offense-friendly rule changes over the last decade haven’t made it any easier, either.

While a cornerback’s job has never been more difficult, there are still plenty of cover guys around the league wreaking havoc on opposing passing games. Here’s our ranking of the top-10 players at the position…

(Note: These rankings are based solely on film study from the 2015 season. Statistics and reputation played a very small role.)

Peterson is the closest thing you’ll find to a shutdown corner in today’s NFL. After a disappointing 2014, a slimmed-down Peterson bounced back and produced a career season. He did not follow around No. 1 receivers for full 60-minute games; instead, he typically played his normal role in the first half and then started shadowing the top receiver in the second half. Arizona put too much on Peterson’s plate in prior seasons. He was often left on an island thanks to an aggressive, blitz-heavy scheme. The Cardinals are still blitzing, but not having to track superstar receivers for entire games has allowed the 25-year-old to conserve energy throughout games.

Peterson is the most athletically-gifted corner in the league. Last year, his technique finally caught up. Peterson’s footwork has been refined, which allows him to stick with receivers with elite change of direction ability.

There are still times when he loses balance trying to stay attached to quicker wideouts, but those moments were rare in 2016.

Losing weight hasn’t affected Peterson’s physicality at the line of scrimmage. He’s still at his best when in press man coverage, where his physical gifts can take over.

Peterson isn’t nearly as effective in zone coverage (he’s improving though) but if you want a cornerback who can take a top receiver out of a game, he’s your best bet.

Statistically, Sherman’s 2015 season wasn’t the best of his career, but it may have been his most impressive. It was certainly the most challenging.

The Seahawks have always had a good No. 2 corner playing opposite of Sherman, whether it was Brandon Browner or Byron Maxwell. That changed in 2015, when free agent Cary Williams struggled in Seattle’s zone-based scheme and was eventually released mid-season. Without a reliable option on the other side, first-year defensive coordinator Kris Richard pried Sherman away from his left side and had him move around with opposing team’s top receivers. Granted, this wasn’t a full-time assignment — Sherman still spent a majority of his snaps playing on the left — but it gave the braggadocios corner a chance to show he was effective outside of Seattle’s Cover 3 zone.

Sherman capitalized on that opportunity. His game against Antonio Brown — the most difficult cover in the NFL — was one of the more impressive performances by a corner in 2015. After a rough start — Brown abused Sherman with some quick releases in the first quarter — Sherman grew more comfortable, played more physically and all but shut Brown out of the game (with the help of his teammates, of course).

Sherman drops to No. 2 on our list because he doesn’t have the athleticism to hold up in man coverage for 60 minutes. Ask Sherman to lock down an area of the field, and he’ll come through every time. Shutting down a specific receiver? That’s not his game.

Our first surprise on the list. Verrett may not be a recognizable name for casual fans, but that has nothing to do with his game. On the field, it’s difficult to find a weakness. Off the field, his weakness is clear: He can’t seem to stay healthy.

Of the four games I studied for Verrett, he failed to finish two of them due to injury. The 24-year-old has missed 12 games over the first two seasons of his career. That’s a problem, but not one we’ll concern ourselves with for this list, which is based solely on skill set.

The Chargers play a good mix of zone and man coverage, and Verrett holds up just fine no matter the assignment. Man coverage is where he really shines, though. Verrett has top-end speed and the kind of agility you’ll find in a comic book hero. Even at 5-10, 188 pounds, Verrett can hold up against bigger receivers, too. That combination of skills allows him to stick with receivers of all sizes and abilities.

Verrett can compete with big receivers in jump ball situations:

And he can stay tight to the league’s smoothest route-runners:

If the Shutdown Corner is dying, Verrett has the best chance of reviving it.

Harris is the best slot corner in the game, but he’s much more than that. In Wade Phillip’s base 3-4 front, the diminutive corner played on the outside and was just as effective. Listed 5-foot-10 (and that’s probably a little generous), Harris will have a hard time shaking the “nickel corner” perception despite his move outside in 2015. That’s just the lot of a smaller corner.

Let’s be clear: His lack of size is an issue, and a big reason he’s not higher on this list. Harris does have trouble dealing with bigger receivers, but that’s not much of an issue with Aqib Talib on the other side, able to take on the bigger wideouts while Harris marks the quicker guys.

Harris is built to shut down smaller receivers, who are much more prevalent in today’s game, where some of the best wide receivers in the league are under six feet. His ability to change directions is unmatched in the league, and he has the speed to stick with burners on vertical routes.

Will he be able to hold up against the Dez Bryants and A.J. Greens? No, probably not. But put him on Antonio Brown, Steve Smith or Julian Edelman, and he’ll hold them in check. (Brown had a big game against Harris in the regular season, but that had more to do with Ben Roethlisberger’s ability to fit the ball in tight windows than poor coverage.) The bigger corners on this list don’t stand a chance against the elite small receivers — Harris does.

If Butler proved anything last year, it’s that he’s not a one-play wonder. He also made Bill Belichick look a lot smarter for his decision to let both of his starting corners, including Darrelle Revis, walk in free agency.

What are the Patriots going to do at corner? the NFL world asked. Butler was the answer.

Belichick asked Butler to try to take out the opposing team’s best receiver,  and he held up just fine in that role, thanks to his smarts and competitive nature. He’s small and not a great athlete — that’s why he went undrafted — but his understanding of NFL passing games and ability to recognize what offenses are doing makes up for his athletic deficiencies.

Butler’s miraculous Super Bowl interception was not a one-time thing. He pulled off equally impressive plays on the ball throughout the 2015 season. With more and more offenses favoring three-step, quick-timing passes, Butler’s ability to instantly diagnose those routes is invaluable.

Surprised to see Revis this low on the list? Well, this ranking may have been generous after a subpar 2015 season, which included a number of games where the Jets’ highest-paid player was outclassed by opposing receivers, including Sammy Watkins (twice) and DeAndre Hopkins.

Revis’ biggest issue is his declining speed. He had trouble adjusting to the decline and it showed when he tried to defend faster receivers on vertical routes. At 30, Revis still has fluid hips and can stick with receivers on most routes, and his experience allows him to read and jump routes.

The Jets still have a Pro Bowl-caliber corner on their hands, but Revis is no longer the shutdown corner he was during his first go-round with the team. That’s what they are paying for, which will become a problem in the next year or two. If Revis’ decline continues in 2016, don’t be surprised if it’s his last year in New York.

Norman emerged as the preeminent playmaker at the position early last season after notching two pick-6’s and a game-sealing interception against the Saints over the first month of the season. Teams started avoiding Norman as a result. That development, combined with the Panthers’ zone-heavy scheme, created the perception that Norman was shutting down the best receivers in the league.

He wasn’t. That wasn’t Norman’s job in Carolina’s defense. He may have followed the top receivers on opposing team, but he was rarely locked in man coverage against them. Unless those receivers’ routes crossed into Norman’s zone, he wasn’t covering them. Norman wasn’t shutting down those receivers; the Panthers defense was.

That doesn’t mean Norman wasn’t a huge part of Carolina’s success in 2015. His play-making was an asset the team will have a hard time replacing. Norman knows how to read quarterbacks and that allows him to come up with those momentum-turning plays. He’ll even abandon his responsibility in order to make a play:

Norman isn’t a great man-to-man corner, so if Washington is expecting him to come in and lock down the likes of Dez Bryant and Odell Beckham Jr. by himself, the coaches will be disappointed. The Redskins won’t get that in Norman. But they will be getting a player who can change a game in an instant.

Trufant did the perfect Richard Sherman impression in former Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn’s defense last season. Like Seattle’s All-Pro, Trufant sticks to the left side, where he plays an aggressive brand of zone coverage.

While Trufant isn’t the playmaker Sherman has been in his career, he is far better in man coverage than his Seahawks counterpart. The Washington product absolutely plasters receivers, no matter their build.

He can get physical against bigger receivers like Houston’s DeAndre Hopkins:

Or shadow quicker players like Odell Beckham Jr.:

Trufant drops on this list because of his limited role, which can be exploited by opposing teams. Take the Giants game, for example. Beckham absolutely dominated that game and did all of his damage (146 yards and a TD) against right cornerback Robert Alford. Beckham lined up across from Trufant on the left on 13 snaps and did not catch a pass. Trufant appears to have that shutdown ability, but the Falcons haven’t let him show it.

While Chris Harris Jr. takes the smaller receivers, Talib’s job is to shut down the bigger guys — a job he’s well-equipped to do. But when he gets stuck on a quicker player with route-running ability, Talib gets exposed. He’s not very fast — or quick — but he recognizes routes and has excellent ball skills, which allows him to make plays.

Talib and Harris might be the perfect corner combination. Both excel against certain receivers and their games are complimentary. Having the league’s best pass-rush doesn’t hurt either.

The Lions moved Slay around to follow top receivers, but it’s not a job he was consistently tasked with. Detroit doesn’t stray too far from its two-deep coverages, so Slay usually had a safety backing him up. When he was able to play trail coverage, Slay had no problem sticking with receivers. But when he had to play over top receivers with no safety help behind him, the young corner had trouble with in-breaking routes due to underdeveloped technique. Like a young Patrick Peterson, Slay has enough athleticism to make up for his sloppiness. The potential to grow into an elite cover guy is there.

Honorable mention

11. Stephon Gilmore, Bills
12. Jonathan Joseph, Texans
13. Vontae Davis, Colts
14. Delvin Breaux, Saints
15. Ronald Darby, Bills

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