The Kansas City Chiefs traded up with the New England Patriots to pick No. 21 and they used said pick to select Washington CB Trent McDuffie.
Brett Veach mentioned in his pre-draft press conference that if the team had an opportunity to trade up and select one of the 16-18 players they had a first-round grade on, they’d look to do so. It’s safe to say that McDuffie was one of those players.
KC didn’t show much pre-draft prospect interest in McDuffie. They didn’t even attend the Washington pro day. However, the team had a clear need at the cornerback spot after the departure of Charvarius Ward. They’ve often looked to improve this position group through the draft, but they’ve struck out in the past. They didn’t do that this time around.
McDuffie doesn’t have the prototypical length that the Chiefs look for at the cornerback position, but he plays bigger than his 5-11, 193-pound size. He rarely gets beat off the line of scrimmage and has the speed to mirror and match in a variety of different coverages.
This is an impact player on the defensive side of the ball for Kansas City, one who can start on the outside right away. While a wide receiver or defensive end might have been the sexier picks for this team, this one was an absolute necessity for the team to improve on the defensive side of the ball.
