2022 Draft Profile: Washington’s Trent McDuffie

[Steeler Nation]

Leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft starting on April 28th, we will be releasing several draft profiles of prospects who could potentially see themselves on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Next up…

Trent McDuffie (Cornerback), Washington, Junior​

McDuffie weighs in at 195lbs, standing at 5’11” and is one of the cornerbacks that has a chance to be selected in the first round come April.



Overview:

Trent McDuffie is next in line to be yet another talented cornerback to be drafted after playing for the Washington Huskies, and honestly might be the best of them all. He was a highly recruited prospect as a high 4 star recruit and immediately became a factor for the Huskies defense as a true freshman. He has started 27 games across his career, would’ve been more if not for a COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, and decided to come out early with very little question marks around his game.






Pros:

• Tremendous hip flexibility
• Twitchy athlete
• Very good acceleration and agility
• High floor due to good technique
• Arguably the best run defending corner in the draft
• Physical in press coverage
• Can play inside in the slot and on the perimeter
• Very good tackler and can pack a punch with his hits
• Nose for the ball, 5 turnovers in 27 games
• tracks the ball well in the air
• Has success in both man and zone coverage schemes
• Very good instincts in zone coverage

Cons:

• Size, only average height and length
• Late reacting in press coverage at times
• Limited exposure to NFL level wide receivers in college
• Has shown average anticipation when receivers are at the top of routes

The Steelers have multiple cornerbacks that are free agents this offseason, and without a clear picture as to what the position will look like in 2022 the team could definitely benefit from someone with McDuffie’s skillset.



Coverage:

Man coverage, zone coverage, in the slot, on the outside, McDuffie has experience playing it. In man-to-man coverage he excels in the short and intermediate parts of the field, as there are very few wide receivers with better quickness or short area burst than him. He is able to get physical with the receiver throughout his release and throw off the timing of routes at times, which also is a testament to his tenaciousness. In zone coverage he excels and understanding when people are entering and leaving his zone, performing very well when passing off or taking on guys from other defenders. His only issue that has occasionally arise is deep down the field when he can’t always get into throwing lanes or reach the receivers arms to break up the pass due to average length. He is usually in position, so this doesn’t come up often.






Ball Skills/Instincts:

Although he doesn’t have a large number of interceptions throughout his career, he does well to track the ball through the air and break on the ball to knock it away. He is often in position to at minimum get his hands on the ball or in the throwing lane to limit the receivers ability to catch the pass. This is the one area of his game that his average length hurts him however, as some of his pass breakups could have been interceptions. He also understands route combinations well which is key for him when he played zone coverage, as he worked well with teammates passing off routes to one another.

Run Support/Tackling:

I don’t think you will find a more willing tackler or run defender in this position group for this draft class, as there has yet to be a play where you can see McDuffie not wanting to stick his nose in the pile. Not only is he very physical and willing in run support, he is also a very sound tackler as well. He does a good job to keep his form when taking on ball carriers bigger than him and rarely lets them get out of his grip. When receivers do manage to make catches on him he is able to get them on the ground quicker than most as his closing speed is excellent. He also has occasionally delivered a good pop to receivers when running towards him in zone coverage.

NFL Comparison – Marshon Lattimore:

I can’t help but see a lot of Lattimore in McDuffie’s game. Both were or will be somewhat questioned coming out due to not being tested frequently against top talent, but both have all the tools to be an elite corner. Both are sticky coverage corners in both man and zone, while also being fearless in their tackling efforts.

Draft Projection – Late 1st Round:

There was originally some talk that McDuffie may not be a first round corner due to some of the concerns mentioned above (no battle tested, average size), but that seems to have gone to the wayside over the last month or so. McDuffie will likely be selected in the back half of the opening night of the 2022 NFL Draft, and if he does make it to Day 2 some team will be getting a steal.


Let us know below what you think about McDuffie as a prospect, and let us know what other prospects you could be interested in seeing a profile on!

#SteelerNation

Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..

 

[slashsteel]

Leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft starting on April 28th, we will be releasing several draft profiles of prospects who could potentially see themselves on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Next up…

Trent McDuffie (Cornerback), Washington, Junior​

McDuffie weighs in at 195lbs, standing at 5’11” and is one of the cornerbacks that has a chance to be selected in the first round come April.



Overview:

Trent McDuffie is next in line to be yet another talented cornerback to be drafted after playing for the Washington Huskies, and honestly might be the best of them all. He was a highly recruited prospect as a high 4 star recruit and immediately became a factor for the Huskies defense as a true freshman. He has started 27 games across his career, would’ve been more if not for a COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, and decided to come out early with very little question marks around his game.






Pros:

• Tremendous hip flexibility
• Twitchy athlete
• Very good acceleration and agility
• High floor due to good technique
• Arguably the best run defending corner in the draft
• Physical in press coverage
• Can play inside in the slot and on the perimeter
• Very good tackler and can pack a punch with his hits
• Nose for the ball, 5 turnovers in 27 games
• tracks the ball well in the air
• Has success in both man and zone coverage schemes
• Very good instincts in zone coverage

Cons:

• Size, only average height and length
• Late reacting in press coverage at times
• Limited exposure to NFL level wide receivers in college
• Has shown average anticipation when receivers are at the top of routes

The Steelers have multiple cornerbacks that are free agents this offseason, and without a clear picture as to what the position will look like in 2022 the team could definitely benefit from someone with McDuffie’s skillset.



Coverage:

Man coverage, zone coverage, in the slot, on the outside, McDuffie has experience playing it. In man-to-man coverage he excels in the short and intermediate parts of the field, as there are very few wide receivers with better quickness or short area burst than him. He is able to get physical with the receiver throughout his release and throw off the timing of routes at times, which also is a testament to his tenaciousness. In zone coverage he excels and understanding when people are entering and leaving his zone, performing very well when passing off or taking on guys from other defenders. His only issue that has occasionally arise is deep down the field when he can’t always get into throwing lanes or reach the receivers arms to break up the pass due to average length. He is usually in position, so this doesn’t come up often.






Ball Skills/Instincts:

Although he doesn’t have a large number of interceptions throughout his career, he does well to track the ball through the air and break on the ball to knock it away. He is often in position to at minimum get his hands on the ball or in the throwing lane to limit the receivers ability to catch the pass. This is the one area of his game that his average length hurts him however, as some of his pass breakups could have been interceptions. He also understands route combinations well which is key for him when he played zone coverage, as he worked well with teammates passing off routes to one another.

Run Support/Tackling:

I don’t think you will find a more willing tackler or run defender in this position group for this draft class, as there has yet to be a play where you can see McDuffie not wanting to stick his nose in the pile. Not only is he very physical and willing in run support, he is also a very sound tackler as well. He does a good job to keep his form when taking on ball carriers bigger than him and rarely lets them get out of his grip. When receivers do manage to make catches on him he is able to get them on the ground quicker than most as his closing speed is excellent. He also has occasionally delivered a good pop to receivers when running towards him in zone coverage.

NFL Comparison – Marshon Lattimore:

I can’t help but see a lot of Lattimore in McDuffie’s game. Both were or will be somewhat questioned coming out due to not being tested frequently against top talent, but both have all the tools to be an elite corner. Both are sticky coverage corners in both man and zone, while also being fearless in their tackling efforts.

Draft Projection – Late 1st Round:

There was originally some talk that McDuffie may not be a first round corner due to some of the concerns mentioned above (no battle tested, average size), but that seems to have gone to the wayside over the last month or so. McDuffie will likely be selected in the back half of the opening night of the 2022 NFL Draft, and if he does make it to Day 2 some team will be getting a steal.


Let us know below what you think about McDuffie as a prospect, and let us know what other prospects you could be interested in seeing a profile on!

#SteelerNation

Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..

Thanks Matt. I am interested in seeing where he goes in comparison to Gordon. I think Gordon is slated for somewhere within round 2. Both could end up going in the same round...