Kansas City Chiefs first-round draft pick Trent McDuffie won’t ever be recognized as the biggest or fastest cornerback in the NFL.
It’s not something that anyone thinks will be a problem or he wouldn’t have been made a first-round pick, but it means that his preparation will always need to be a step above the rest. To this point in his football-playing career, one of the biggest boons to his success has been his film study habits.
McDuffie spends a lot of time watching film and that in turn informs his play. He refers to himself as a “student of the game.”
“I break down film every single day of the week,” McDuffie told reporters at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine.
When McDuffie says every day of the week, he means it too. He studies upcoming opponents, past opponents, also college and NFL players, both past and present. He has a distinct and thought-out plan of attack too, including a dedicated four and a half hours of film study every night.
“I love studying film,” McDuffie said. “I love watching guys all over the league, past, present. I spend a lot of energy and create an organized plan to watch as many games as I can. Beginning of the season, I watch last season’s film. Going through the season, I try to get through every game and all the games from last season. So, I start at 5:30, end at about 10 o’clock at night. I watch at least four games a day. I feel that has helped me so much.”
How much has it helped him exactly? Well, among draft-eligible cornerbacks he had the lowest yards per coverage snap allowed (0.6) according to PFF. He knows his opponents and their tendencies extremely well and as a result, he’s able to limit what they’re capable of doing on the field.
“You like to look at where they are going to line up on the field,” McDuffie explained. “I’m a big situational football guy. So, what am I going to get on mixed downs, third downs, third-and-shorts, third-and-longs? All that will help me determine what the receiver is going to do, what kind of routes they like to throw. Then it also comes down to the timing of the quarterback and the receiver. A big part of DB is defending that timing. Being physical when you need to be physical, and understanding when they are going to take the vertical. So, just knowing all of that through the film-watching helped me a lot.”
That film-watching has also helped with his versatility. McDuffie says he feels comfortable and confident playing both man and zone coverages. His film study habits have helped him find success with a number of different playstyles and coverages that could be called in a variety of situations.
As for whether it’ll all translate to the NFL, preparation is preparation. Don’t expect McDuffie’s habits to change now just because he has made it to the big leagues. They’ll continue to inform his success as they did at Washington.
“I think it just comes back to preparation,” McDuffie said. “I spend a lot of time, a lot of energy, learning the plays and developing my skills and techniques. I’d say I’m dedicated to what I do.”
