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Charvarius Ward is a top-10 NFL cornerback. At least, he is in the mind of Brian Baldinger. The NFL Media analyst compiled his list of the 10 best cornerbacks in the league, and the veteran San Francisco 49ers defensive back just made the ranking.
Ward, better known to teammates and coaches as "Mooney," is a relatively new face on the Niners roster, signing a three-year, $42 million free-agent deal with the team last year. The cornerback earned his best overall (81.0), run-defense (91.0), tackling (90.7), and coverage (76.6) grades from Pro Football Focus in his first season with the 49ers.
Ward just made Baldinger's list, coming in at No. 10.
"An undrafted free agent signee out of Middle Tennessee in 2018, Ward is a reasonably unheralded player who has developed into the top cornerback on the league's top-rated defense," wrote Baldinger. "All the sixth-year pro has lacked is interceptions (five career INTs), but he really helped solidify the 49ers' secondary last season after being with the Chiefs for his first four pro campaigns."
Ward (6-1, 195) finished his 2022 campaign with 87 tackles, three tackles for a loss, an interception, a career-high 11 passes defensed, and a forced fumble through 17 games, per Pro Football Reference. According to Pro Football Focus, he did not miss a tackle in his first 15 games.
Baldinger added, "Ward's specialty is understanding the art of man-to-man defense. His great technique doesn't hurt, either."
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