​Ever since he was selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, former Washington Huskies cornerback Trent McDuffie has been one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks.As ESPN goes through its annual rankings of the best players in the league at each position ahead of the 2026 season, the newly minted Los Angeles Rams cornerback, who was acquired from the Kansas City Chiefs for four draft picks, including a first-rounder in 2026, found himself ranked as the No. 5 cornerback in the NFL.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”McDuffie is a top-five cornerback for the second consecutive year,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote. “Some evaluators still view him as more of a slot corner due to his size (5-foot-11), but that doesn’t tell the whole story. McDuffie was an outside corner for 500 snaps last season. Even so, some evaluators believe he’s best inside because of his strength, short-area quickness, and competitiveness.””One of the top coverage corners in the league,” an NFC scout told Fowler. “He can cover in the perimeter or the slot, can play man or zone, can pressure the quarterback, can play Cover 2 well, and can jam and re-route. (He) has plus zone vision.”General manager Les Snead and the Rams certainly view him in that light, not just paying a hefty price to acquire him, but also to keep him. In early March, the 25-year-old McDuffie inked a record-setting four-year, $124 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid corner in NFL history.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNow, as the Rams go all in to win a Super Bowl on their home turf, McDuffie will be a key piece as they look to knock off the reigning champions, the Seattle Seahawks, who are led by wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the 2025 Offensive Player of the Year.”Outstanding open-field tackler, and he’s always in position to make a play,” an NFL coordinator added in the story. “You’re going to have to beat him because he won’t beat himself.”This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Former Washington football star ranked among NFL’s top five CBs