When Brandon Staley selected Asante Samuel Jr. out of Florida State in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft, he revealed what type of identity the Los Angeles Chargers secondary would emulate.
The Chargers opted for Samuel, who stands at 5’10” and weighs 180 pounds, with the No. 47 overall pick when there were taller, lengthier, and better-built players still on the board. They saw Samuel’s effortless ability to execute bail coverage, press, and zone techniques and glide with his assignment. Although many draft experts projected him to eventually transition his talents over to the slot, the undersized Samuel played the outside cornerback role at a high level for the Seminoles. He was reactive, ball-hungry, and always found the action for playmaking opportunities.
The Chargers were sold.
In training camp, Samuel went toe-to-toe with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and quickly earned his stripes as a vital piece of the defense. Staley and the Chargers realized that relegating their scrappy young cornerback to a nickel role would place a cap on his impact. While concussions hampered his availability, Samuel showcased he could bolt down the hatches of his side of the field against the best.
Now, a year later, all signs point toward the Chargers targeting another cornerback in April to pair with Samuel. Veteran Chris Harris Jr. is expected to depart in free agency shortly. Staley recently told reporters at the NFL Combine that the cornerback position is something his staff is “always going to be looking at” as long as he is the head coach.
The Chargers will have a lot of decisions to make regarding their first-round pick, but cornerback seems to be at the forefront of the wish list. Sitting at 17th out of 32 selections on day one, the team is in a prime range to grab their favorite of the top cornerbacks. By using Staley’s selection of Samuel as a precedent, one can narrow down which cornerbacks will command the Chargers’ attention.
Samuel’s utilization in his rookie year confirmed Staley’s philosophy that he brought over and installed from his time as defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams. Staley prioritizes athleticism over size. He values instincts, intangibles, and players that are magnetic to the football. Staley bets on the traits, the development skills of his coaching staff, and his game plan to stifle offenses.
That is why the Chargers are intrigued by Washington cornerback Trent McDuffie, who told reporters at the Combine that the team believes he would be “a good fit” for them. McDuffie said he has met with the team, which expressed their desire to see him play inside. The combination of McDuffie alongside Samuel and safety Derwin James would form a freakish triumvirate as one of the best young defensive back corps in the league.
A product of St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, CA, McDuffie committed to Washington and became an immediate impact for the Huskies. He started 11 games as a true freshman and quickly gained a reputation in the Pac-12 as a lockdown cover agent. McDuffie finished his career with 94 tackles (4.5 for loss), one sack, three forced fumbles, two interceptions, and eight pass breakups over 27 games. He earned All Pac-12 first-team honors in his junior season.
But advanced analytics truly paint the picture of McDuffie’s dominance at Washington. According to Pro Football Focus, McDuffie ranked first among FBS cornerbacks in PFF Coverage Grade (89.5), completion percentage (44.4%), and yards allowed per coverage snap (0.39). His passer rating allowed ranked second in the country at 52.0 flat.
The tape matches the player of such pedigree, as quarterbacks were terrified of throwing in McDuffie’s direction. He only gave up 111 total receiving yards last year, and 52 yards through four games in a 2020 campaign shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. McDuffie, who is 5’10” and weighs 195 pounds, did not allow a touchdown in either of his last two seasons.
The fear factor explains McDuffie’s low volume of plays on the ball, but to cast away his ability to contest the catch would be shortsighted. The 2022 cornerback class is chock full of breakup specialists with honed ball-tracking skills and turnover expertise. However, in the few instances McDuffie was tested through the air, he delivered.
On this red zone opportunity against Washington State, McDuffie was tasked to blanket the weapons entering the flat. The Washington defense, including McDuffie, kept all the Cougars’ receivers in front and the quarterback improvised after leaving the pocket due to slight pressure on his left. McDuffie identified his man as the only viable target and rapidly closed the space between them. His motion directly paralleled the track of the receiver and the two dove for the ball in an identical fashion. McDuffie easily slipped a hand under the receiver’s outside arm, which jarred the ball loose upon arrival and onto the turf for an incompletion.
Twitch, athleticism, and sweltering burst are the ammunition loaded in McDuffie’s lower body that mobilizes his talented play. McDuffie recovers well and changes direction evenly with minimal friction. He stays in phase with the receiver and possesses the lateral agility to adjust on impulse. All of these attributes meld together and produce a hyperconscious defender that can trigger on-demand to anywhere he needs to go.
McDuffie is a solid cornerback in man coverage, but zone coverage is where he shines. His instincts and eyes are exceptional, a strength McDuffie said has always felt natural to him. They allow him to multitask and conduct surveillance on the quarterback while guarding receivers that pass through his designated bubble. His footwork is light and smooth, complemented by fluid hips that quickly rotate to turn and run. McDuffie equals nuances in the receiver’s route and knows how to obscure throwing windows and cause doubt for the quarterback staring him down.
Those instincts aren’t always metaphysical; they also stem from deliberate preparation. McDuffie said he watches an average of four games a day when studying film, according to Carmen Vitali of The Draft Network. It takes up most of his evening, from 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. But McDuffie’s work ethic and commitment to improving his football knowledge have resulted in razor-sharp situational awareness on the field that gives him a pre-snap edge.
A great example of this is McDuffie’s processing of context and the offense’s approach with Arizona needing to keep its drive alive on a long third-down attempt. McDuffie recognized the concept and Arizona’s intentions to open up the dig route and opened his wings. Due to McDuffie playing off-man with a healthy cushion to work with, a slower cornerback likely would have been wiped out of coverage by the traffic caused by the other receivers. Instead, McDuffie’s alertness and quickness to get ahead of the play facilitate his explosion to the ball. McDuffie meets the receiver moments after the catch, erasing any room for extra yards and turning his zippy pursuit into a solo tackle.
Plays that display McDuffie’s nonstop motor and effort define his game. He is a multidimensional butterfly on the field, flitting from one area of the field to another and involving himself whenever he can. Taking plays off is a foreign concept to McDuffie and he gives every snap his all until the whistle. Apple should tab him for experiments when designing its next iPhone because McDuffie’s battery never requires charging. It seems like all of his nonstationary energy is constantly recycled.
It should come as no surprise that McDuffie is one of the most energetic players when it comes to supporting the run defense. McDuffie is a stalwart tackler with good form and consistent wrap-up technique. He is capable of making open-field stops all by himself and hardly falls victim to diving at a player’s ankles. Quite a few of his best highlights occurred when he sped across the formation, sometimes from the opposite hash, to stop a ball carrier in their tracks.
McDuffie’s willpower to hunt down the run is evident on this reverse by Oregon State. McDuffie anticipated the design, avoided getting caught up in the muck, then scorched toward the receiver at breakneck speed. McDuffie successfully tripped up the wideout and prevented what would have been a massive gain of chunk yardage to preserve Washington’s field position.
It is hard to find serious cracks in a dynamic prospect like McDuffie, but the Washington star can shore up his striking in press coverage. He is comfortable applying the contact with no shortage of willpower or aggressiveness, but the placement and power behind his jams can be upgraded. His average length and size also limit his effectiveness in this area. Larger receivers may have an easier time with him one-on-one. McDuffie could also benefit from better patience when analyzing the receiver’s release to prevent his hips from opening up prematurely and giving up his strategy too early.
McDuffie projects as a versatile cornerback that has the intelligence, athletic makeup, and savviness to hang stride-for-stride with the premier pass-catchers in the NFL. His twitch and instantaneous response are unlike any cornerback prospect I have evaluated since Jaire Alexander captured my attention in 2018. McDuffie’s ludicrous numbers, applicable traits, formidableness as a shadow for the Huskies have forged him into a coveted prospect that is sure to be taken in the first round with the potential to become the best of his class.
