Former Husky Trent McDuffie Is Quickly Becoming One of the NFL's Best DBs
After selecting Washington Huskies cornerback Trent McDuffie in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, it didn't take long for the Kansas City Chiefs to realize they had selected a cornerstone player.
During his rookie season, McDuffie started 11 games and recorded 44 tackles, 7 pass breakups, a sack and a forced fumble while helping his team win its second Super Bowl in the past four years.
In his second year under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnolo, McDuffie has continued to advance through his team's first four games. While the Chiefs lead the AFC West at 3-1, they appear to have found another defensive leader.
McDuffie's 22 tackles are the second-most on the team and he's also tied for the league lead with 2 forced fumbles. Advanced metrics look pretty favorable for McDuffie, who has graded out as the top cornerback in the league by Pro Football Focus through the first month of the season.
His 88.1 grade from the analytics site is a testament to his ability to defend the run and pass, but he's been second to none in man coverage.
McDuffie holds an 87.2 grade in that category from PFF and is in line to face his biggest test against Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who was 2022 NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
Jefferson is having another stellar season by leading the league with 543 receiving yards.
Kansas City is in the middle of a championship window created by coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce, but the Chiefs still have a lot of questions that need to be answered on defense.
The Chiefs were able to come to a short-term agreement with All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, but it's likely the two sides will go their separate ways at the end of the year.
McDuffie's emergence has given general manager Brett Veach a new piece to build around defensively and the cornerback could be an important part of deep Kansas City playoff runs in the near future.
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