KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After transferring from Servite High School before his senior year, rookie Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie arrived at St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California, 18 miles south of Los Angeles.
He immediately made an impression on Jason Negro, his high school head coach.
“The thing that really sticks out to me the most in terms of the type of player that he was, was how he carried himself, his personality,” Negro said. “He was a professional, always looking to get better.”
McDuffie worked hard at practice trying to perfect his craft, according to Negro.
That desire for perfection led to him committing to the University of Washington in 2019. Back-to-back All Pac-12 selections and a third-team All-American appearance were enough to get drafted 21st overall by the Chiefs in the 2022 NFL Draft.
McDuffie was also wise beyond his years, which is one of the reasons why Negro knew he would perform well on the field past graduating high school.
Negro noticed the lack of a learning curve or adjustment period for McDuffie as he moved through the ranks.
“That transition he had from high school to college, college to now we're seeing in the NFL, almost wasn't there for him,” Negro said. “He was able to go out there and have a seamless transition between those levels of play. He just kind of blended them all together and you're seeing him play in a very effortless manner.”
He couldn’t be happier for McDuffie’s development past St. John Bosco and compared the feeling to a proud parent.
“It’s like when your children move on and start to live their own lives,” Negro said.
In the AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals, McDuffie faced the biggest test of his career at that point, playing against the likes of Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. He ended up holding his own, recording six tackles, including a tackle for loss, and two pass deflections.
“He's able to go out there and act completely unfazed by that moment, by those receivers, that offense,” Negro said. “To perform at such a high level was just awesome for me to see.”
Negro watched the AFC Championship more as a coach than a fan and described it as “stressful” for him.
“Normally, when I watch an NFL game, you could just watch it,” Negro said. “We've had some players that have played in the NFL and we got a couple in there currently right now, but with Trent being in the position that is a feast-or-famine type spot – he's either going to make a big play and contribute or he's going to get a penalty or give up a big play, a potential touchdown to some of these dynamic receivers.”
Now, McDuffie is preparing for football’s biggest stage, Super Bowl LVII. Even though Negro is a Steelers fan, he wants to see McDuffie win a championship.
But if he doesn’t, that’s OK too.
“Regardless of the outcome, I know that my guy has been able to get where he's at because of who he is,” Negro said.
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