Trent McDuffie’s NFL respect level might shock even Chiefs fans

It's no secret that Trent McDuffie is considered one of the NFL's best overall defenders coming into his fourth NFL season. A player can't be named a first-team All-Pro without such a designation bestowed upon him. But as it turns out, those in and around the National Football League think even more highly of McDuffie than Chiefs fans might have realized.

ESPN has been publishing a series of best player rankings at each position leading up to the NFL preseason, and McDuffie is on the cornerbacks list, as expected. What's not expected is that he is only one of three corners in the league, per Jeremy Fowler, to have been rated on everyone's top 10 list.

McDuffie came in No. 4 overall in ESPN's recent ranking, another celebration of his talent that follows the cornerback's placement at No. 81 overall on the NFL's Top 100 Players of 2025 list that emerged in recent days.

Everyone in the NFL thinks very, very highly of Trent McDuffie.

Per Fowler, the folks at ESPN had 70 submissions from around the league weigh in on positional rankings overall—entries from scouts, coaches, and front office personnel. As previously stated, McDuffie was one of three to make it on everyone's list, which was interesting since at least one list didn't even include Cleveland Browns CB Denzel Ward (who landed at No. 3) or New York Jets star Sauce Gardner (No. 5).

McDuffie's smaller size (at 5'11") was the lone factor working against him, but evaluators celebrated everything other aspect of his game, from his elite instincts and his athleticism to his versatility and toughness.

McDuffie was named first-team All-Pro in 2023, his first full season played in the league after an injury-shortened rookie campaign in 2022. He followed that up with another second-team All-Pro nod in 2024.

The Chiefs are likely set to offer McDuffie a lucrative contract extension sometime soon after having taken care of right guard Trey Smith. The market rate is incredibly high after recent deals given to Gardner and Derek Stingley of the Houston Texans, but top-tier corners like McDuffie are well worth it.