Since the moment he was taken in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, former Washington Huskies star cornerback Trent McDuffie has established himself as one of the league's best at the position.
He's also widely considered one of the best players in the NFL. After the Los Angeles Rams traded four draft picks to the Kansas City Chiefs, including a 2026 first-rounder, to acquire the 25-year-old two-time All-Pro and Super Bowl Champion before giving him a then-record-setting $120 million contract extension, ESPN ranked him as the No. 41 player in the league a week before the start of the 2026 season.
Against an offense stocked with All-Pros, headlined by reigning MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford and a pair of wide receivers—his former UW teammate
Puka Nacua and Davante Adams—McDuffie has made a major impression in training camp ahead of his first season playing for coach Sean McVay.
"Sitting on the backend, I’m cheesing just thinking about it."
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) August 11, 2026
Rams DB Trent McDuffie speaks on the possibility of Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett on the same D-line 👀
(via @richeisenshow) pic.twitter.com/GTKj27jCdX
"Rams WR Davante Adams praised McDuffie, saying he's not sure he'll get tighter coverage this season than what he sees from the former Chief during practice," ESPN's Sarah Barshop wrote in her reasoning for the ranking. "According to NFL Next Gen Stats, McDuffie has allowed 6.0 yards per target in coverage in the past two seasons, third best among defensive backs who have been targeted at least 150 times".
"He's always got the right technique," Adams told Barshop. "He's got a great way of reading you out."
As the Rams go all in, in an attempt to win a Super Bowl on their home field, the Worldwide Leader In Sports projected McDuffie to live up to the hefty contract extension he received in March, with 91 tackles, 11 pass breakups, 2 interceptions, and a forced fumble.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: ESPN ranks former Washington football star among NFL's top 50 players
