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There is nothing more respected in the NFL than complete avoidance.
That is what Patrick Peterson dealt with in 2016, as no cornerback in the NFL was avoided more in 2016 than Peterson.
Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson (@P2) was the most-avoided cornerback in the NFL last season. pic.twitter.com/foSOebCqn9
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) May 12, 2017
This wasn't a surprise, the Arizona Cardinals took a chance with the cornerback opposite of Peterson and it showed up week in and week out, as teams flat out ignored Peterson on a per snap basis.
It is why a large segment of fans still wanted to see the Cardinals invest in a cornerback opposite Peterson. Every week, teams are going to test the young Justin Bethel and Brandon Williams, and in 2016 they were not up to the task.
It took Marcus Cooper on a cheap deal to be the guy to play opposite of Peterson and the NFL liked Cooper's work much more than the analytics did.
It will be much the same in 2017, hopefully Williams and Bethel are ready.