Buffalo Bills cornerback Christian Benford has proven himself to be one of the best cornerbacks in football, and it paid off with a big four-year extension this offseason. However, even though the former sixth-round pick out of Villanova got paid and was one of the top cornerbacks in football in 2024, it has still felt like he's flown under the radar and has been left out of the conversation for top defensive backs in the NFL more often than not. However, in a recent ranking from PFF.
Benford was ranked as the 18th best player in the NFL under 25 years old, and he ranked as the fourth cornerback on the list behind Trent McDuffie, Derek Stingley, and Devon Witherspoon.
"There is an argument that Benford is one of the most underrated players in the league, having ranked as a top-15 cornerback in PFF overall grade since entering the league," Jonathon Marci writes. "He also owns a top-12 PFF coverage grade (84.0) over that span. Once Benford became a full-time starter in 2023, he truly earned his inclusion on this list, as he moves into the top five in PFF coverage grade among cornerbacks (87.1) over that span. During that same stretch, Benford has allowed just 0.76 yards per coverage snap — a top-10 mark among 150 qualifying cornerbacks since 2022."
Benford is finally getting the attention he deserves, and hopefully he can continue to build off what was a terrific 2024 campaign.
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