How good might Chiefs rookie McDuffie become? Here’s what one of his teammates thinks
Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie has only played 2 1/2 NFL games, but that’s been enough for teammate Justin Reid to solidify his initial impressions of the rookie cornerback.
“Great start for him,” Reid said Wednesday in the Chiefs’ locker room. “That’s the type of guy we knew that we got when we first came to training camp.”
McDuffie’s pro career didn’t begin as he might’ve hoped.
After playing 32 snaps in the season opener against Arizona, he slipped on the State Farm Stadium turf and suffered a hamstring injury. The ailment kept the first-round pick out the next seven weeks, with the Chiefs taking the cautious approach while having him return following the team’s bye week.
What’s happened since, though, has been notable.
McDuffie allowed no catches on two targets in a Week 9 overtime win against Tennessee. Then last week, he graded as the Chiefs’ sixth-best defender according to Pro Football Focus while registering five tackles and a pass breakup in Kansas City’s win over Jacksonville.
“I think his ceiling is through the roof, man,” Reid said. “I think pretty soon we’re going to be holding the conversations with (Denver’s) Pat Surtain if he keeps on the trajectory that he’s going right now.”
It’s certainly a comparison McDuffie would love to reach. PFF has Surtain graded as the best cornerback in the NFL this season with a second-place ranking in overall coverage.
McDuffie — for a rookie — appears to be trending in a promising direction; among cornerbacks who have played at least 20% of their team’s snaps, he’s tied for 15th among all cornerbacks in PFF defensive grade, while ranking ninth out of 124 corners in coverage grade.
Reid said he believed McDuffie’s greatest strength was playing as a press corner who can disrupt receivers with his hands.
“Very patient, very smooth, never feels like he’s out of control,” Reid said. “And he’s just a reliable player.”
McDuffie, who is 5-foot-11 and 193 pounds, said game-week study helps him prepare for each matchup ahead. In the case of going against bigger receivers — like Los Angeles Chargers’ 6-4, 218-pound Mike Williams, whom he might face this Sunday — McDuffie said he getting hands extended was often the best path to success.
“You’ve got to know they’re big bodies. They’re going to be strong,” McDuffie said. “So you’ve just got to fight pressure with pressure and go make a play when the ball’s in the air.”
McDuffie says a particular source of pride this season has been playing alongside so many other rookie teammates in the secondary.
On certain Chiefs defensive play calls, McDuffie is on the field with second-round safety Bryan Cook, fourth-round defensive back Joshua Williams and seventh-round DB Jaylen Watson. Those four — along with seventh-round pick Nazeeh Johnson — were dubbed as the “Fab Five” by defensive backs coach Dave Merritt during training camp.
“When I look back and see Bryan Cook and J-Wat on the other side and Josh, I’m like, ‘How cool is this — that everybody I came with, everybody who’s learned the same lingo, we all taught each other — is all out there?’” McDuffie said. “It makes the game so much more fun.”
McDuffie — the Chiefs traded up in the first round to select him with the 21st pick — also has impressed Reid with his work ethic. The safety describes McDuffie as smart but also a willing learner.
“We knew he was going to help us make some big plays,” Reid said, “and he’s come through for that.”
McDuffie will get a homecoming of sorts with this weekend’s road game in Los Angeles. His hometown is Westminster, California, which is about 30 miles southeast of L.A.
Because of that, McDuffie promised he’d have “a lot of energy on Sunday” with many family members and friends coming to the game.
It’ll be another opportunity for him to make up for missed time. McDuffie still remains on the board at betting sites for NFL defensive rookie of the year, hovering around 100-to-1 odds.
Those longshot numbers, at this point, are more a reflection of his injury than his performance.
And Reid believes if McDuffie’s level of play keeps up like this, it won’t be long before more outsiders take note of his abilities.
“As long as he remains humble and continues to work hard like he’s doing,” Reid said, “the sky’s the limit.”
This story was originally published November 17, 2022 at 12:30 AM.
