Analyst: Trent McDuffie Has ‘Great Chance’ to Crack NFL Top 100 Next Year

After getting snubbed from football's annual player-voted top 100, one analyst believes McDuffie is in line to make the cut in 2025.

Feb 8, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie (22) during a press conference before Super Bowl LVIII at Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort and Spa. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs had an All-Pro cornerback in 2023-24 but somehow, he didn't make the NFL Top 100 list by the time it was all said and done. Could that change a year from now? It's entirely possible.

Coming off an excellent sophomore campaign complementing L'Jarius Sneed, Trent McDuffie is looking to cement himself as one of the NFL's best this coming season. Some would argue that this past year, he already did so. Nevertheless, his peers apparently didn't believe that and the former first-round pick missed the cut (as did Sneed) this summer.

When players vote next time, will McDuffie be included? Alex Kay of Bleacher Report believes those chances are solid. In a recent article highlighting five potential NFL Top 100 candidates for 2025, Kansas City's star corner was mentioned. Kay thinks that if McDuffie can withstand the Chiefs' loss of Sneed, he'll be a relative shoo-in when the list comes around again.

"McDuffie will need to raise his game even further in 2024 following the departure of L'Jarius Sneed," Kay wrote. "The Chiefs likely felt comfortable moving on from Sneed—the team's No. 1 corner prior to being dealt to the Tennessee Titans this offseason—due to the impressive development of McDuffie. While he's a tad undersized at 5'11", 193 pounds, McDuffie has proven more than capable of taking on any assignment.

"If McDuffie continues to play at the same level without Sneed to help take the heat off and the Chiefs go on to win an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl, it would be almost criminal to keep the star defensive back out of the NFL Top 100."

Coming off the best year of his young career, it's hard to argue against McDuffie being one of the very best prospects at his position. In 16 regular-season contests a year ago, he set personal best marks in tackles (80), forced fumbles (5) and sacks (3). The former Washington standout was excellent all year long, serving as one of the game's premier slot options and allowing Sneed to thrive on the boundary.

With Sneed no longer in town, McDuffie may very well be asked to fill that role. While defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo isn't all-in on it happening, the Hall of Fame-caliber coach acknowledged that it's a possibility for this season. Thanks to McDuffie's smooth athletic profile and consistency, it's easy to see him succeeding just about anywhere. That, combined with the ball skills he's flashed during this year's training camp, makes the case for him being a perimeter corner in base personnel an easy one.

If McDuffie does make the transition to a full-time outside starter, he'll likely be just fine. If he doesn't, there's a significant track record of him being elite as a slot/nickel in Spagnuolo and Dave Merritt's secondary. Now the leader of the group, he'll work with Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson and others to help offset the loss of Sneed. Kansas City knows that directly replacing him is virtually impossible, but a by-committee effort could result in another stellar season on the back end.

Assuming that's the case – which isn't a guarantee – then McDuffie should be in consideration for the 100 best players list in 2025. In this writer's opinion (and the opinion of many others), he should've been a lock this time.

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