Buffalo Bills: 3 cornerbacks to watch at the 2022 NFL Combine
Trent McDuffie, Washington
Measurables: 5-11, 195lbs.
Trent McDuffie, just like Elam, has been pegged as a potential first-round pick for Buffalo. You can see why. Statistically, they both were some of the best corners in college football throughout their careers.
Lowest career yards allowed per coverage snap at outside cornerback among 2022 NFL Draft CBs, per @PFF:
— Austin Gayle (@austingayle_) January 8, 2022
1. Trent McDuffie (0.6)
2. Kaiir Elam (0.7)
3. Kyler Gordon (0.7)
McDuffie is a very well-rounded corner with good instincts for the position. He excels in man and zone coverage, using a high football IQ to never display significant weaknesses. Some teams will have McDuffie on their board as a perimeter cornerback, while others may see his best fit in the slot.
McDuffie does lack a little in the creating turnovers department, never really showing elite ball skills or having many turnover-worthy plays, which is a slight worry. Still, he rarely is caught out of position to give up big plays.
The Combine is essential for McDuffie because it may influence where teams see him playing at the next level. This is huge for the Bills because they already have one of the best slot cornerbacks in the league in Taron Johnson, so there is no need to draft a guy who projects to play that position.
If Buffalo sees McDuffie as an outside corner, they will likely have to be okay with him being a little undersized. While this does not affect McDuffie much in the run game, there will be several NFL receivers that he could cover who would be much larger, stronger, and faster than him. If McDuffie tests well and Buffalo views him as an outside corner, he could be high on Brandon Beane’s draft board. However, he could take himself entirely off it with lousy Combine numbers.