Trent McDuffie

Entering just the third year of his rookie deal with the Chiefs, McDuffie starred in his second campaign in Kansas City, racking up 80 tackles (60 solo), three sacks and five forced fumbles en route to first-team All-Pro honors. He heads into 2024 locked into a starting role, and the departure of L'Jarius Sneed places McDuffie at the head of the Chiefs' cornerback class, which could mean he'll face the opposing team's best pass catchers more often this season.

McDuffie finished his rookie season with 44 total tackles, a sack and a forced fumble across 11 games in 2022. The 22-year-old landed on injured reserve for part of last season with a hamstring injury, but the cornerback appears to be healthy and ready to fill a starting spot in the Chiefs' defensive backfield for the 2023 campaign.

In a league increasingly trending toward the passing attack, cornerbacks have become much more valuable. McDuffie was the third cornerback off the board in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft behind Derek Stingley and Sauce Gardner and will infuse additional talent into a secondary that finished sixth-worst in the league in passing yards allowed per game (251.4) last season. He should be a candidate to hold down a starting spot out of the gate. McDuffie wasn't exactly a takeaway machine in college, recording just two career interceptions, but he tallied 35 tackles last season, proving his willingness to help out against the run.