5 Best Fits at Cornerback for the Buffalo Bills in the 2022 NFL Draft

Trent McDuffie

Washington/5’11/193 lbs/Junior

Trent McDuffie is the second of the two best cornerbacks that the Bills could land at pick #25 in this year’s draft. While McDuffie might be a little undersized, he certainly does not play that way.

The Washington product is a very physical and willingly aggressive tackler who thrives in zone coverage. McDuffie has great speed, even better instincts, and the ability to change directions which is necessary to keep up with faster receivers underneath.

Washington is a very zone-heavy defense, which tailors McDuffie’s strengths to what Buffalo does best, that being zone coverage.

McDuffie has not played a whole lot of man coverage, but in the instances where he has, his athleticism and quickness have benefitted him, particularly underneath. His physicality and toughness also help him a ton in press coverage, where he is not afraid to go up and challenge bigger receivers on higher throws.

Though he is undersized, McDuffie plays much bigger than he actually is, and that kind of toughness and fearlessness is exactly what Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane look for in defenders who don the Buffalo Bills uniform.

McDuffie’s tackling ability and aggressiveness allow him to limit yardage after the catch and contribute to his effectiveness in short-range man coverage. In this sense, McDuffie’s physicality and ability to play bigger than his frame is a trait that the corner he would be replacing, Levi Wallace, did not have.

McDuffie’s size and skill set are very reminiscent of Jaire Alexander. Alexander was profiled similarly to how McDuffie is being profiled now; as an undersized corner who is very physical, versatile, and fast.

McDuffie does not quite have the ball production that Alexander had coming out, only intercepting two passes and forcing three fumbles in 28 collegiate games. However, his ball skills are just as good as Alexander’s were. That lack of ball production would not be too much of a concern for his fit as a corner for the Bills though, as no corner currently on the Buffalo roster tallied more than one interception in 2021.

McDuffie’s skill set is very well suited for what the Buffalo Bills like to do defensively, and he would be a quality addition to one of the league’s best secondaries.