Rod Woodson Ranked Second-Best CB of All-Time, Mel Blount Snubbed From Top 10 List
In the continued best players at each position series by the 33rd Team, Marcus Mosher ranked former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Rod Woodson as the second-best corner of all-time, behind just Deion Sanders.
“Rod Woodson played 12 years at cornerback (1987-1998) before switching to safety. He played five years as a free safety, making four Pro Bowls and leading the league in interceptions twice. However, we are only judging his cornerback play for this list. And yet, he comes in at No. 2,” Mosher wrote.
“Woodson made five All-Pro teams at cornerback and was one of the most complete defensive backs in NFL history. He created takeaways, shut down top receivers, and made plays in the run game. Woodson did not have a weakness, and that’s why you can make a strong case he is the best defensive back in NFL history.”
Mosher is spot-on that Woodson didn’t have a weakness. He’s arguably the greatest pure athlete to ever play for the Steelers. He was an incredible kick and punt returner also. In his 17-year career, Woodson recorded 71 interceptions; 1,483 interception return yards; 2,362 punt return yards; and 17 touchdowns.
Woodson, a member of the 1990s All-Decade Team, was named to the Pro Bowl 11 times; a record for a defensive back and in 1994 was one of only five active players to be named to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary Team. The others were Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Reggie White and Ronnie Lott, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
For some inexplicable reason, Mosher left former Steelers cornerback and Hall of Famer Mel Blount off the list.
Blount won four Super Bowls with the Steelers in the 1970s and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1975, a season in which he led the league in interceptions with 11. Blount was so dominant that the league implemented a rule in his name.
To open up the passing game, the league prohibited the contact between defensive backs and receivers after five yards from the line of scrimmage. From its inception in 1978, that rule has been known in history as the “Mel Blount Rule.”
To not name Blount as a top 10 cornerback of all-time is blasphemous. He might even be a top 5 cornerback in NFL history. His size and speed was rare for the era that he played in. He absolutely dominated receivers.
In his 14-year career, Blount recorded 57 interceptions, which he returned for 736 yards and two touchdowns. He intercepted at least one pass in all 14 NFL seasons and led the league in interceptions with 11 in 1975.
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