It’s no secret that the Detroit Lions defense under coordinator Aaron Glenn prided itself on being very physical in pass coverage. Playing aggressive, hands-on coverage on the outside was a staple of Glenn’s defense, and it landed two Detroit cornerbacks on Pro Football Focus’ list of the 10 most physical coverage defenders in 2024.

Atop the list is Kindle Vildor, who played over 300 snaps for the Lions thanks to injuries. Vildor brought the physicality in coverage, though it didn’t necessarily work well for the new Buccaneers CB. As PFF notes,

Vildor was extremely physical in 2024 with the Lions in a part-time role. Mostly seeing action in dime packages and when the defense started suffering injuries later in the year, Vildor got his hands on opposing receivers more than 50% of the time — but mostly to his detriment.

He was called for four penalties on 100 coverage snaps where he made contact with the opposing receiver and also allowed six first downs and 1.54 yards per coverage snap on those plays, resulting in a 29.1 PFF coverage grade.

The other Lions CB who made the list for 2024 is also playing elsewhere in 2025. Carlton Davis checked in at No. 6 on the list. Unlike Vildor, Davis was quite effective when getting his hands on the receiver. It’s part of why the Patriots paid Davis handsomely in free agency,

He doubled his physical-snap total in 2024 from the previous two seasons when he played with the Buccaneers. He allowed a 40.6% completion rate and has surrendered just one touchdown the past three seasons when making contact with opposing receivers.

Somewhat surprisingly, Terrion Arnold did not make the list. The Lions rookie was second in the NFL in penalties by a defensive back with 11, including three holding calls, and already has a reputation for being very hands-on in coverage.

This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: 2 Lions CBs make PFF list of most physical coverage defenders