Former late round draft pick by the Buffalo Bills named as one of the most underappreciated players in the NFL
A former late round draft pick by the Buffalo Bills was named this week as one of the most underappreciated players in the NFL ahead of the 2024 season. On Thursday, NFL.com put out a list of the most underappreciated players in the NFL and Bills cornerback Christian Benford was included on their list. Benford, […]
A former late round draft pick by the Buffalo Bills was named this week as one of the most underappreciated players in the NFL ahead of the 2024 season.
On Thursday, NFL.com put out a list of the most underappreciated players in the NFL and Bills cornerback Christian Benford was included on their list.
Benford, a former Villanova standout, was a sixth round selection by the Bills in the 2022 NFL Draft.
From NFL.com: In the 2022 NFL Draft, Buffalo spent its first-round pick on pedigreed Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam. Two days, five rounds and 162 picks later, the Bills went back to the corner well, this time selecting a far less heralded prospect out of FCS program Villanova. Shockingly, Benford promptly proceeded to beat out Elam for a starting CB spot in Year 1, though injuries abbreviated his rookie campaign. In Year 2, Benford fully broke out, starting 14 games and posting a top-10 PFF grade among qualified cornerbacks. With offseason attrition across Buffalo’s secondary, the Bills will rely on this former Day 3 steal to play a critical role in Sean McDermott’s defense.
Players like Benford are why late round selections are important for franchises to have (in other words, don't just mindlessly throw a late round pick in on a trade).
Sure, those late round selections usually don't result in a team landing a future starter, but there are a typically a few late round picks each year that fly under the radar that end up being NFL starters.
If Benford had played college football from 2022 to 2024 — AKA the thick of the transfer portal/NIL era — he probably would've eventually transferred and received more attention….which likely would've increased his draft stock.
The Bills, however, are quite happy that wasn't the case. They landed one of the biggest steals in the 2022 NFL Draft when they selected Benford.
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