There was a time when Lattimore was considered one of the top young shutdown corners in the league. Lattimore received the highest pass coverage grade of his career from Pro Football Focus when he was a rookies. Lattimore posted a 71.7 grade, a 68.7, and a 53.7 after he was Defensive Freshman of the Year. Lattimore had a bounce back in 2021, posting a 76.4 coverage grade, the 21st-highest among qualified corners. You would think that figure would reestablish Lattimore as a shutdown corner, but his numbers suggest otherwise. People love to mock Lattimore for allowing the second-most yards in the league and recording less than one-third of the picks that he did, but they don't share the same sentiment toward Diggs, who gave up over 1,000 yards in coverage last season. Most Lattimore stans will point to his completion percentage against (57.4 percent) as a reason to be optimistic, but then criticize him for allowing a 57.3 completion percentage on only two more targets than his NOLA counterpart. More people should be hounding Lattimore than he is, yet he is still in the public. Lattimore was a liability on deep throws. Quarterbacks liked to target Lattimore on deep routes. Lattimore had the fourth-highest average depth of target of the 100 corners that allowed the most yards in coverage. That is a bad sign for his yards allowed and his completion percentage against. You would think someone who gets thrown at deep enough often would have a better completion percentage than Lattimore. The Saints will face a number of top players in the years to come. The PFF has a status of "status" That is a gauntlet. Lattimore has seen success in the past against some of these names, but he hasn't seen success against Adams or Evans.
Lattimore needs to prove that 2021 wasn't a flop. I wouldn't be surprised if Lattimore allows more yards than he did in 2021, and if Diggs isn't there to take the brunt of it, because the new head coach doesn't instill much confidence.
Lattimore is not a ball hawk. He had five picks in his first season and that was the most he had ever recorded. Lattimore can't fall back on the turnovers he forced when people went after him. He has to rely on being an open-field tackler to defend himself, but Lattimore leaves a lot to be desired. The X-factor that will determine how far the Saints go is him. If he can't limit those yards, that will spell disaster for his team.
Lattimore is a better corner than Diggs. He sticks on his receiver with ease, and his stellar tackling keeps them from breaking for big yards after the catch. Lattimore struggles limiting big plays because he lacks ball skills, while Diggs has better ball skills. They are different types of corners who end up with similar results, but while one is viewed in a very divisive light, the other is viewed as an all-around solid corner and pivotal part of the Saints defense. Let's start holding every corner to the same standards.
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