The Los Angeles Rams traded a first-round pick for Trent McDuffie and immediately signed him to a record-setting $124 million contract, but is he the best cornerback in the NFL? Is he in the top-5 or the top-10? At least one person who spoke to ESPN didn’t have McDuffie ranked in the top-10 and his overall score put him behind four other corners in the league.
In a survey of coaches, execs, and scouts, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler shared that McDuffie ranked as the fifth-best cornerback in the NFL behind
Pat Surtain, Derek Stingley, Christian Gonzalez, and Devon Witherspoon.
While one person ranked McDuffie third, nobody had him first or second. At least one person didn’t rank McDuffie at all, and he fell one spot from last year’s rankings.
“One of the top coverage corners in the league,” an NFC scout said. “He can cover in the perimeter or the slot, can play man or zone, can pressure the quarterback, can play Cover 2 well and can jam and re-route. [He] has plus zone vision.
“Outstanding open-field tackler, and he’s always in position to make a play,” an NFL coordinator said. “You’re going to have to beat him because he won’t beat himself.”
McDuffie goes from a team he won a Super Bowl with to a team that wants to win a Super Bowl with him. He is joined by former Chiefs teammate Jaylen Watson, who didn’t receive any votes in this survey (24 corners got at least one placement in the top-10).
Not putting McDuffie in the top-10 could be a bridge too far. But the Rams gave up as much as they did for McDuffie because he’s who they needed, not necessarily because he’s the best cornerback in the NFL.
He should at least be in the top-10.
