The San Francisco 49ers struck paydirt two years ago when they banked on the upside of cornerback Charvarius Ward, signing him to a three-year, $42 million deal.

Ward quickly evolved as the team’s top cornerback and has ultimately become one of the best at the position in the NFL, especially in man coverage.

However, is he a Top 10 cornerback in 2024?

In ESPN’s annual position group rankings, they compiled votes from NFL executives, coaches, and scouts to formulate a list with the Top 10 players at the position heading into the upcoming year.

Where does Ward rank among that group?

Last year, Ward missed the list entirely, as he was not named a Top 10 player or one of the five honorable mentions, although he did receive some Top 10 votes.

This year, the 49ers cornerback slightly missed out on the Top 10, as he was listed as an honorable mention alongside Baltimore’s Marlon Humphrey, Dallas’s Trevon Diggs, Atlanta’s A.J. Terrell, New England’s Christian Gonzalez, and New Orleans’s Marshon Lattimore.

“Probably the most underrated corner in the league. Doesn’t get a lot of credit, but he’s a problem for the top receivers,” an NFC coordinator said about Ward, via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Here are the Top 10 cornerbacks.

1. Patrick Surtain (Denver Broncos)

2. Denzel Ward (Cleveland Browns)

3. Sauce Gardner (New York Jets)

4. L’Jarius Sneed (Tennessee Titans)

5. Jalen Ramsey (Miami Dolphins)

6. Trent McDuffie (Kansas City Chiefs)

7. Jaire Alexander (Green Bay Packers)

8. Jaylon Johnson (Chicago Bears)

9. Devon Witherspoon (Seattle Seahawks)

10. Derek Stingley (Houston Texans)

Ward is entering the final year of his contract with the chance to be one of the NFL’s highest-paid cornerbacks on his next deal if he maintains his current production.

At 28, Ward is still just entering his prime and should be set up for another strong year behind a talented San Francisco defense in 2024.