Desmond Trufant: 'I Got Welcomed to the NFL Quick'

Read more on how quickly cornerback Desmond Trufant learned of the challenges playing the position his rookie season in the NFL.

John Maakaron | Aug 13, 2020

Desmond Trufant is the new veteran face of the Lions' secondary.

He comes to Detroit after spending the last seven seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, the team that selected him in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

He signed a two-year, $20 million contract with Detroit back in March -- with base salaries of $4.5 million and $9.5 million in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

It is no secret that playing the cornerback position can be quite challenging, especially for rookies.

"Everybody's bigger, stronger. You're dealing with grown men out there," Trufant said during a video conference Thursday. "I know my first preseason play, I got welcomed to the NFL quick."

Trufant is hoping that young cornerbacks, including rookie Jeff Okudah, understand the position is challenging, but that there are opportunities to come back and make plays later should an opponent get the best of you on one particular play.

"At the corner position, it's a lot of pressure on your shoulders. You create your own pressure out there. However you react to every situation --it's on you, good or bad," he said. "Just stay even keeled because you're not going to make every play. You're going to make a lot of plays as well."

Trufant described his "Welcome to the NFL" moment as coming in a preseason game against the Cincinnatti Bengals back in 2013.

He explained, "What happened on that play is kind of a little story. So, we were scrimmaging the Bengals in practice. We were talking a little bit. I was talking to (Jermaine) Gresham, the tight end. In the game, he caught a little pass in the flat, and I came out to try to tackle him and he pretty much just ran me over out of bounds. He was talking crazy. But, I remember seeing colors. My bell was rung, so I knew what time it was after that."

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Published Aug 13, 2020

JOHN MAAKARON

John Maakaron has covered Detroit Sports since 2013. Brings a vast array of experience covering the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Detroit Mercy Titans, and Oakland University Golden Grizzlies. John brings a wealth of sports broadcast experience. In 2013, John had the vision to establish the Detroit Sports Podcast Network. Has recorded over 3000 podcasts analyzing Detroit Sports. In 2019, Sports Illustrated Media Group, a historical sports media outlet, partnered with Detroit Sports Podcast to provide daily Lions content for their growing and expanding digital media outlet. Our Lions content can also be read in the newspaper at The Oakland Passionate about Detroit Sports and it is reflected in his coverage of the local teams!