Trent McDuffie Hype Continues, Nearly Topping Pro Football Focus Cornerback Rankings

Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie continues to earn national attention this offseason, landing near the top of Pro Football Focus's cornerback rankings.

Feb 7, 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: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie has been the subject of plenty of offseason conversations in 2024, and the hype surrounding KC's third-year cornerback continues to grow. After trading fellow corner L'Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans ahead of the NFL Draft, McDuffie is now clearly KC's best corner — though a new ranking from Pro Football Focus has McDuffie over Sneed and almost every other CB in the league.

In PFF's cornerback rankings, written by John Kosko, New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner is No. 1. Then, at No. 2, McDuffie earns high praise:

2. Trent McDuffie, Kansas City Chiefs
McDuffie, a 2022 first-round pick, helped lead the Chiefs to back-to-back Super Bowl victories to start his career. He has graded well, earning an 83.8 coverage grade that ranks seventh at the position over the last two years. However, he excels at preventing separation, rushing the passer and stopping the run, giving him an elite all-around game.

A former Chief also lands at No. 3: San Francisco 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward. Sneed lands at No. 12, and the Chiefs don't have another corner in the top-32.

McDuffie was also named a "dark-horse" defensive player of the year candidate on NFL.com in May and a top-10 player under the age of 25 in the entire league on Bleacher Report.

"While year one saw Trent McDuffie live as an outside corner, the 2023 All-Pro quickly solidified himself as one of the NFL's most dominant nickel defenders in 2023," Bleacher Report's Ryan Fowler wrote. "He's allowed a lowly 63.6% on passes completed against in his first two seasons, along with 13 PBU's. On top of his ability to shut down a variety of skillsets in the slot, McDuffie is an aggressive and dynamic extra body as a blitzer from the slot (19 pressures led all NFL DBs).

Read More: Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie Named 'Dark-Horse' DPOY Candidate