Bills’ Recent Day 3 Draft Pick tabbed Team’s ‘Most Underappreciated Player’

His absence from the Buffalo Bills‘ divisional round loss was noticeable.

Starting cornerback Christian Benford was inactive for the team’s 27-24 season-ending setback to the Kansas City Chiefs following a strong second year as a pro. The 2022 sixth-round draft pick logged two interceptions and forced two fumbles over 15 regular appearances, including 14 starts.

Expected to start opposite cornerback Rasul Douglas in 2024, the 23-year-old Benford is beginning to garner some national media attention. NFL Media’s Gennaro Filice identified the most underappreciated player for each of the 16 AFC teams and Benford was his choice for the Bills.

From NFL’s most underappreciated players:

“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.”

Benford totaled 824 defensive snaps for Buffalo in 2023. The 6-foot-1 cornerback was part of a unit that ranked sixth amongst NFL team leaders in yards per pass play (6.05).

Earlier in May, Pro Football Focus named him the Bills’ “most underrated player.”