Vikings Draft Targets: Is Washington CB Trent McDuffie Worth it at No. 12 Overall?
Here's the scenario: the Vikings are on the clock at No. 12 overall and just learned that the Washington Commanders took Derek Stingley Jr. or Kyle Hamilton one pick earlier. Stingley, Hamilton, Sauce Gardner, the top three edge rushers, and five offensive players have already been taken.
What should GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah do?
Plenty of players could be options at 12 in that scenario, but one name stands out: Washington cornerback Trent McDuffie. The consensus No. 3 corner behind Gardner and Stingley, McDuffie would make a lot of sense for the Vikings, who have a major need at the position. Minnesota's current CB starters are Patrick Peterson and Cameron Dantzler on the outside, with Chandon Sullivan in the slot. That's a passable unit, but the depth behind that trio is severely lacking. More importantly, only Dantzler is under contract in 2023.
The question Adofo-Mensah and his staff have to answer is whether or not they think McDuffie is worth taking at 12. That'll come down to how they have him graded on their board and how they feel about the next tier of corners, one that includes Florida's Kaiir Elam, Clemson's Andrew Booth Jr., Washington's Kyler Gordon, and Auburn's Roger McCreary. If they view McDuffie as clearly better than the rest of that group, taking him at 12 makes sense. If not, attempting to trade down or taking a non-CB at 12 and waiting to address that need might be appealing options.
McDuffie is an interesting prospect. He's not a big, household name with College Football Playoff experience like Gardner and Stingley. Playing for a Washington team that went 15-14 over the last three years and whose games are on late at night for much of the country will do that. But McDuffie is fantastic when it comes to the mental and technical side of playing corner, and he's got plenty of athleticism. If he was 6'2" like Gardner, he'd probably be a locked-in top-ten pick.
That's the biggest knock against McDuffie: he's between 5'10" and 5'11" and has sub-30" arms, which puts him in the fifth percentile for arm length as a corner. He also has relatively small hands, for what that's worth. As a result, some teams may not want to take a chance on McDuffie early in the first round because he doesn't meet certain physical thresholds. The list of successful NFL outside cornerbacks with sub-30" arms is not a long one.
Still, there are plenty of reasons to believe McDuffie could shine at the next level, 29.75" arms and all. He's a great athlete with 4.44 speed and an explosive lower body. More notably, he's incredibly advanced from a mental perspective, playing with great anticipation and feel. McDuffie's footwork, tackling ability, and competitive toughness are all excellent. His film shows a player who is almost always in complete control, and his lack of production on the ball (2 INTs, 10 PD, 3 FF in 26 career starts) can be explained by teams regularly shying away from even throwing the ball in his direction.
Here's the scouting report from The Athletic's Dane Brugler, who ranks McDuffie as his No. 2 cornerback (ahead of Stingley) and No. 12 overall player:
A three-year starter at Washington, McDuffie was an outside cornerback in former head coach Jimmy Lake’s defensive scheme. After earning a starting job as a true freshman, he quickly established himself as one of the top cover corners in the country, even though that wasn’t reflected in the stat sheet because offenses would often throw away from him. McDuffie is fluid in both man and zone coverages and rarely appears stressed athletically because of his feel for timing and spacing. While he is a top athlete, his mental skills might be even more impressive with eyes that are dialed in and the processing to sort through everything and communicate like an extra coach on the field. Overall, McDuffie might not hit ideal size thresholds for some, but he is an easy sell in draft rooms because he has outstanding athleticism, intelligence and is well-schooled in various techniques. He has a high ceiling and a high floor and should start as an NFL rookie.
If the Vikings really like McDuffie, I'd have no issue with them taking him at 12. He could likely earn a starting job or a large rotational role either inside or outside as rookie, and he has all of the tools to be a long-term Pro Bowl-caliber player. Yes, his lack of size is notable, but he makes up for that with his athleticism, football IQ, and technique.
In an ideal world, the Vikings would trade back and still land McDuffie in the late teens or early 20s. But the risk of doing that is you're relying on him making it past the Ravens at 14 and the Eagles at 15, to name a couple teams in the market for a corner. Trading down makes sense if there are other corners in round one or two the Vikings really like.
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