Cornerback, Washington Huskies
Trent McDuffie Scouting Report and Player Profile
The NFL continues to be a passing league and every year teams and scouts alike continue to look for pass defenders in order to counter the high flying offenses. One of the six cornerbacks we listed in our top 50 prospects is Washington Huskies corner Trent McDuffie. McDuffie is a supreme talent and, depending on the type of defense a team plays, he may be the top corner on some boards.
McDuffie stands 5-11 and 200 lbs. entering his junior season for the Huskies. Coming out of national powerhouse St. John Bosco High School, he was ran a 4.47 40 time and recorded a 4.05 20 yard shuttle time. Generally we see these numbers improve with NCAA training, meaning he should test well too. On film he offers a bit of everything and we will look into that further below.
With the college football season ahead of us he has the opportunity to stand out. If he does, we should most definitely see his name called on day 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft. The Huskies enter the season ranked the number 5 defense in the NCAA according to PFF. McDuffie plays a major part in that.
Anthony Treash of PFF wrote “He is just one of three outside corners in the Power Five who has generated a coverage grade above 75.0 in both man and zone coverage since 2019. And that’s not all, as McDuffie might also be the best tackling cornerback in college football. He has missed just two of his 64 career tackle attempts and earned a run-defense grade that ranks second among Power Five corners over the last two years.”
Accolades
After a stellar high school career he was ranked the No. 66 overall prospect and the No. 8 cornerback in the nation by 247 sports. As a freshman at the University of Washington, he started 11 games and was named second-team Freshman All-America by ProFootballFocus.com. McDuffie was also honorable mention Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year and Pro Football Focus All-Pac-12 second team.
He followed that up with a strong sophomore campaign and earned second team All-PAC-12 second team honors. Entering the 2021 season he is on multiple watch lists including the Bednarik and Jim Thorpe Awards which are awarded to the nations top DB.
Weaknesses
As a scout we may occasionally fall in love with a player and the way they play, but we must be fair and talk about the good the bad and the ugly. There is some ugly in the Trent McDuffie scouting report just not much. In a class loaded with top tier cornerback talent, McDuffie’s measurables might leave coaches wanting more. Other top corners like Ahmad Gardner and Derek Stingley Jr. all stand at least 6’1″, while McDuffie is 5’11”.
McDuffie may be at a disadvantage compared to the other top corners due to concerns whether he can cover larger receivers. On top of this, I see some scouts question his versatility and wonder whether he can play inside and out. Scheme versatility may be an issue too as he may be somewhat of a liability in press coverage, we don’t see him line up in press enough to really know. Yet he looks great in off man and zone.
Strengths
When you turn on the film of this young man it quickly becomes evident he has everything you want athletically. He has top end speed and explosiveness. Both are apparent when watching him chase down plays from behind, or catch up to a seemingly open receiver down field. On top of that, his instincts seem top notch allowing him to play even faster.
As I eluded to earlier, we know he can tackle. He may be the best tackling corner in this class and will draw Jalen Ramsey comparisons regarding his tackling come draft season. I’d say he looks like a young Tyrann Mathieu when he comes down to tackle a ball carrier. If he was one on one in the open field with a receiver I’d be confident he’d take him down.
McDuffie isn’t just a corner. He was a highly recruited athlete and played both WR and CB in high school. His experience allows him to read routes and high point a ball. He can make plays and not just knock down passes. He also has 3 forced fumbles in just two seasons. On top of that, he is a threat to score with the ball in his hands and doubles down as a good return man as well.
Final Thoughts
With the college football season just a few days away, I have McDuffie ranked very high. I have him tied with Kaiir Elam as my CB 3. If I were a team that plays off man or zone I would be elated to see him fall to me in the back half of day one or even better day 2 in the 2022 NFL Draft. He would be a great fit with a team like the Indianapolis Colts or Robert Saleh’s NY Jets.
Analyst for the Trent McDuffie Scouting Report-Ken Noble
