Chiefs Reportedly Expected Patriots To Draft This Standout Corner
New England traded down for Cole Strange instead
Trent McDuffie has emerged as one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks this season. Kansas City can’t believe he’s playing for the Chiefs and not the Patriots.
Entering last year’s NFL draft, the Chiefs were convinced McDuffie wouldn’t get past New England at pick No. 21, according to a report Tuesday from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
“They figured there was no way he would get to where they were picking, at 29,” Breer wrote. “So as Kansas City watched McDuffie slide through the teens, that doubt was maintained, mostly because GM Brett Veach and his staff felt like McDuffie checked about every box for Bill Belichick’s program and, accordingly, (wouldn’t) get past where the Patriots were picking, at 21.”
The Chiefs weren’t alone in that opinion. McDuffie, a 5-foot-11, 193-pound corner out of Washington, looked like a perfect fit for New England, which at the time had just lost J.C. Jackson in free agency.
NESN.com even had the Patriots taking McDuffie with their top pick in our first 2022 mock draft. Here was our rationale:
We love McDuffie’s fit in Bill Belichick’s defense. At 5-foot-11, 193 pounds, he’s similar in size to Jackson (5-10, 201 at his pro day) and is experienced and adept in man coverage, starting 26 games for a Washington defense that’s churned out quality defensive backs in recent years. McDuffie also is an aggressive tackler and a cerebral player, telling reporters … that he watches upward of four hours of film each day. …
The one attribute that could give the Patriots pause is McDuffie’s 29 3/4-inch arms. The last five corners New England drafted all had at least 31-inch arms, with the last three topping 32 inches.
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Whether the Patriots were turned off by McDuffie’s shorter arms is unclear, but they had a chance to draft him and passed. In fact, they traded the 21st overall pick to Kansas City, which promptly scooped up the talented cover man.
Eight spots later, New England stunned draft analysts by selecting Cole Strange, who became a Day 1 starter at left guard but has not been dominant over his first 1 1/2 pro seasons. The jury still is out on Strange as the long-term answer at that position. The Patriots used the other picks they acquired in the deal to draft quarterback Bailey Zappe, cornerback Jack Jones and safety/linebacker Marte Mapu.
McDuffie, meanwhile, enters Week 10 as Pro Football Focus’ ninth-highest-graded cornerback. He leads all NFL defensive backs with four forced fumbles, including one Kansas City returned for a touchdown in last week’s win over Miami in Germany.
The Patriots landed their own stud cornerback one year later in Christian Gonzalez, but he’s now on injured reserve and won’t return until 2024 after tearing his labrum.
New England will travel to Germany this week to face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in Frankfurt.
