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The cornerback position may be the most forget and move on position on the field. No other position besides maybe quarterback causes a player to have such a short term memory. While that may be New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore’s mindset on the field, he wants those off the field to respect his current place in the game. Speaking with the media, Lattimore wants to make it clear that he feels he belongs in the same category as the elite corners in the NFL.
#Saints CB Marshon Lattimore says that last year got off to a slow start by his standards, but feels that the team finished strong on defense.
— Ross Jackson (@RossJacksonNOLA) June 8, 2021
Marshon Lattimore also tells us that he feels that people ran with the inconsistent narrative but he believes he's one of the best corners in the league.
— Ross Jackson (@RossJacksonNOLA) June 8, 2021
Lattimore would appear to have the cache to back this claim. He was voted the NFL Defensive rookie of the Year back in 2017 and in his 4 year NFL career, he’s been voted to the Pro Bowl 3 times. We’ve seen him lock up some of the NFL’s elite wide receivers like Julio Jones and Mike Evans. We’ve also seen some lesser talented receivers get the best of Lattimore in head to head matchups.
The numbers from last season point to some inconsistent play that Lattimore admittedly said caused the perception of him to drop. A quick look at his PFF coverage grades from last season show the up and down season he had which resulted in his lowest coverage grade of his career at 59.1. Lattimore went from giving up just 5 touchdowns combined in his first 3 years to giving up 7 last season which was tied for the second highest in the league. PFF latest rankings has Lattimore as the 18th highest ranked outside corner heading into next season.
The first step to corrective action is admittance so Lattimore conceding to his inconsistent play last season is one step in the right direction. Couple that with the Saints bringing in an elite defensive backs coach in Kris Richard and this could be a recipe for success. The rest will be on Lattimore to show and prove his elite skill on Sundays this fall. Lattimore is here to put everyone on notice. Don’t forget about him.
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