The NFL is in really good shape at the cornerback position with stars like Patrick Surtain II, Sauce Gardner, Derek Stingley Jr., and Trent McDuffie manning the position. It’s been a long time since the league has had this type of star power and depth at cornerback, and it should make for a fascinating season.
But one player who doesn’t get mentioned in the same tier as those four cornerbacks is Christian Benford of the Buffalo Bills. A sixth-round selection during the 2022 NFL Draft, Benford has become a full-time starter for the Bills over the last two seasons, appearing in 30 total games.
While Benford doesn’t have gaudy interception totals (five in three seasons), he is one of the best man-to-man cornerbacks in the league and just doesn’t get beaten very often in coverage. According to Pro Football Reference, Benford allowed just 5.4 yards per target on 58 targets last season (lowest of his career). And even when teams do complete passes on him, he allowed just 8.5 yards per completion, again the lowest of his career.
In a recent article by Jonathon Macri of Pro Football Focus, he ranked the top 25 players under the age of 25 going into the 2025 season. That list included Beford, who came in at No. 18 and was the No. 4 cornerback on the list. Here is a snippet of what Macri had to say about the former Villanova cornerback:
"Once Benford became a full-time starter in 2023, he truly earned his inclusion on this list, as he moves into the top five in PFF coverage grade among cornerbacks (87.1) over that span. During that same stretch, Benford has allowed just 0.76 yards per coverage snap — a top-10 mark among 150 qualifying cornerbacks since 2022."Jonathon Macri, Pro Football Focus
Even the most casual NFL fans know who Surtain, Gardner, and Stingley are and which teams they play for. That’s probably not the case for Benford despite the Bills being a Super Bowl contender every season. But that’s what happens when you are a sixth-round pick versus a top-10 selection like the other names listed.
But that shouldn’t take anything away from Benford, as he is clearly one of the best cover cornerbacks in the league. And fresh off a new extension, Benford is ready for a career season as Buffalo’s No. 1 cornerback. He doesn’t turn 25 until a few weeks in the 2025 season, and yet, he’s already onto his second contract and on his way to stardom.
With a few big games in primetime settings, Benford will become a household name. The Bills have a star in the making in Christian Benford, and this is the season everyone else outside of Buffalo finally sees it.