Trent McDuffie, cornerback, Washington
For some experts, the selection of McDuffie was more of a surprise than anything else, but everyone agrees it had nothing to do with the player himself. In fact, McDuffie is universally praised as a pro-ready defensive back with an elite skill set and solid coaching.
Instead, some analysts thought that when the Chiefs were suddenly on the clock at No. 21 overall due to a trade-up with the Patriots, it signaled that they were going up to grab a wide receiver or a pass rusher. Both were glaring needs coming into the draft, especially on the edge, so when the name read was at another position entirely, it was quite a shock for some.
That said, Yahoo Sports’ Eric Edholm summarized the tension best when he wrote, “We thought a pass rusher or receiver might be on the docket, but how can we argue with the trade-up here to get one of our favorite players?” Edholm ended up giving the Chiefs a B+ for the selection.
Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News applauded the Chiefs’ restraint instead of reaching for a wide receiver and thought McDuffie was a solid grab at No. 21, giving them a B grade. CBS Sports analyst Pete Prisco disagrees, however, and chided the Chiefs for grabbing the “wrong” corner from Washington. Instead, he felt that Kyler Gordon was the better player to add. (It should be noted that Gordon went unselected in the first round.)
The questionable takes continue to roll in with Sheil Kapadia of The Athletic who didn’t like the value for the Chiefs at No. 21 at all. Kapadia says the Chiefs were too aggressive here for a player with questions about how well his skill set will translate to the pro level. “He could turn out to be a fine player. But I don’t think I would have been this aggressive to land him here,” Kapadia writes.
Multiple analysts, however, liken McDuffie to departed safety Tyrann Mathieu—including Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report—which will excite Chiefs Kingdom for sure. The team already added Justin Reid to the mix at safety but if McDuffie can play a versatile role in the secondary like the Honey Badger, then everyone will applaud this pick in the end.