Saints’ Marshon Lattimore has all the fuel he needs after recent cornerback rankings

The 2024 season will be an important one for New Orleans Saints corner Marshon Lattimore. All offseason, the star cornerback endured trade rumors, with the franchise doing very little to stop those rumors. Eventually, the Saints made it clear they intend to enter the season with Lattimore on the roster.

Still, Lattimore finds himself in an unfamiliar situation: being doubted. Despite being a four-time Pro Bowler, critics have questions about Lattimore entering his eighth season in the league. He has only played 17 games over the last two seasons, dealing with injuries in both years. Because of that, people are wondering if he can stay healthy and still perform at the level that made him a star.

This doubt is evident in a recent ranking of NFL cornerbacks. Every offseason, ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler surveys execs, coaches, and scouts thoughout the league, asking them to rank their top 10 players at each position. Fowler recently released the 2024 ranking for the top cornerbacks and Lattimore was left out of the top 10. Instead, he was listed in the honorable mentions section.

Marshon Lattimore left out of top 10 cornerback rankings

Based on the quote from an anonymous NFL personnel evaluator, it seems like Lattimore’s health struggles in recent years kept him off the list, despite the fact that he’s still playing at a high level when on the field.

"Across 90 games, Lattimore has recorded 66 pass breakups, 15 interceptions and 5 forced fumbles. "Still love the physicality and the man-coverage traits but he's no longer an ascending player and he's missed a lot of time in recent years," an NFL personnel evaluator said."

- Jeremy Fowler (ESPN)

Lattimore knows this is his current reputation and he understands why. That’s why he’s eager to once again prove himself in 2024. Speaking with the media at mandatory minicamp, he admitted that he doesn’t fault anyone for looking at him differently, because he has been hurt the last two years. However, he also argued that he’s still the best cornerback in the NFL, and that’s what he’s out to prove in 2024.

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