Trent McDuffie's Confidence Matches Philadelphia's Reputation

The Eagles are expected to lose Steve Nelson free agency, so they could be looking for a high-level starter in the draft, and that could be Washington's McDuffie

Washington’s Trent McDuffie believes he’s the most versatile defensive back in the entire 2022 NFL Draft.

It’s hard to argue with the results McDuffie has posted on his résumé. The defensive back saw snaps at defensive line, box safety, free safety, nickel, and wide corner for the Huskies this past season.

“I keep telling all these teams: I want to play football. I’m a football player. You can put me at corner; you can put me at nickel; you can put me at free safety. I want to play special teams,” McDuffie said during his press conference last week at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine. 

“I’m like, ‘Hey if you need somebody on offense, put me over there.’ I’m just trying to compete and be the best player I can for whatever team picks me.”

Confidence never lacks in McDuffie. The cornerback was continuously one of the better defensive backs in the PAC-12 conference in terms of coverage. 

McDuffie didn’t allow a single touchdown in 2022, nor did he the season prior despite it being cut short. According to Pro Football Focus, opposing quarterbacks struggled to complete passes when targeting McDuffie, having a passer rating average of 52 the last two years.

“I feel like just being able to play games is always going to help you, getting that exposure to different offenses, different quarterbacks. A big thing for me this year was film study, having an organized plan to really break down teams, break down what offensive coordinators like to do, situational football. And then just going back and having confidence,” said McDuffie when asked about the evolution of his game.

“A big part of playing defensive back is confidence, short-term memory. This year, I really tried to display that on the field, just to show what I can do.”

The energy and confidence the Washington cornerback gave off at the combine were similar to Slay’s. McDuffie mentioned Slay in particular when asked about the defensive backs he idolized growing up, in addition to Brian Dawkins.

Jonathan Gannon has employed a zone-heavy scheme during his short stint in Philadelphia and is expected going forward. This makes McDuffie an ideal fit for the Eagles’ defense and a candidate with one of their first-round selections if available. 

The cornerback himself discussed how confident he is playing in zone coverage:

“I’ve played in both man and zone coverage for the past three years. Even in high school, we played a little bit of zone. Zone coverage to me is pretty easy. Honestly, all you have to do is have great eyes,” he said.

“The biggest thing about zone coverage is your eyes, reading the keys. Reading 2 to 1, things like that. That’s something I’ve developed a lot at UW. My field of vision is super good because of how we practiced. Going into a zone defense, I’m comfortable. I feel that I can do very well in a zone-type defense, but I can also play man every down.”

Trent McDuffie only had two interceptions and eight pass breakups in 27 games at Washington, but don't let those numbers fool you.

Quarterbacks were scared stiff of throwing his way, and he had few problems finding the ball on the rare occasions when he was challenged. pic.twitter.com/fuqbPFqNY7

— Cole Topham (@crtopham_) March 6, 2022

The mindset of being the best at your position is already instilled in McDuffie. The work ethic matches the desire to be great, and the confidence jumps out the moment you listen to the defensive back speak.

An entire decade of Eagles football went by before the team finally established a Pro Bowl cornerback from Asante Samuel (2010) to Darius Slay this past season.

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Philadelphia cannot afford to waste another decade trotting out below average cornerback talent year-in-and-year-out in this passing era of football. 

With Slay hitting the age of 31, in addition to enormous cap hits the next couple of seasons, the Eagles must identify his heir apparent sooner rather than later, and McDuffie is a viable candidate to become that player.

“I feel I am the most versatile DB in this draft. Whatever team [drafts me] will be able to utilize me in many different ways,” he said.

“I’m not worried about first, second, third. I just want to be on the team, and I just want to be able to go showcase that to all the coaches and just gain that trust between my teammates. Because, at the end of the day, the biggest thing is for the other 10 guys out there to trust that I can do my job.”

McDuffie oozed supreme confidence in himself at the combine. Cornerbacks that talk the talk usually tend to walk the walk, and there’s no doubt in McDuffie’s mind he will be able to accomplish a high caliber of play at the next level.

“My football IQ, I’m a student of the game," he said. "I break down film every single day of the week. Also, I play like I’m a linebacker. I’m a defender. I can tackle. I love to tackle. I love to be in the mix. I love to be in the box. I used to tell our coaches all the time, ‘Man, put me at safety. Let me just go run the alley. Let me take on these linemen.’ I love to compete.

"At the end of the day, I want to win. That’s why I play football, to win games. That’s what I’m going to try to do in the NFL and help these organizations get to the Super Bowl."

Philadelphia hasn’t invested in a first-round cornerback since Lito Sheppard in 2002. It is the perfect time to end the streak with three first-round picks, but the options available are perfect long-term solutions for the Eagles’ secondary. 

McDuffie, though, fits exactly everything the Eagles will need in a defensive back and then some. 

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Conor Myles covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-hosts the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast on Bleav Podcast Network. Reach Conor at ConorMylesSI@gmail.com or Twitter: @ConorMylesSI

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.