Christian Benford (born September 21, 2000) is an American football cornerback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Villanova.
Early years
Benford was born in Baltimore, Maryland and grew up Randallstown, Maryland, where he attended Randallstown High School.[1] He was named All-Metro and All-Baltimore County as a senior and played for Maryland in the Big 33 Football Classic.[2] Benford committed to play college football at Villanova over an offer from Morgan State.[3]
College career
Benford played in nine games with eight starts as a true freshman and was named the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Defensive Rookie of the Year and third-team All-CAA after making 49 tackles with six pass breakups and five interceptions.[4] He played in ten games with seven starts as a sophomore and broke up five passes with one interception.[5][6] Benford was named first-team All-CAA in his junior season, which was shortened and played in the spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[7] As a senior, Benford recorded 39 tackles with seven interceptions and an NCAA Division I FCS-leading 18 passes broken up and was again named first-team All-CAA.[8]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+1⁄2 in (1.84 m) |
208 lb (94 kg) |
31 in (0.79 m) |
9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) |
4.53 s | 1.51 s | 2.63 s | 4.34 s | 7.10 s | 35.0 in (0.89 m) |
10 ft 4 in (3.15 m) |
17 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[9] | ||||||||||||
Benford was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round, 185th overall, of the 2022 NFL Draft.[10] Benford began the season as the starting cornerback for the Bills along with Dane Jackson. In his debut against the Los Angeles Rams he had 3 tackles and one pass defended.[11] Benford fractured his hand in a week 3 loss to the Miami Dolphins,[12] missing only two games and coming back in a week six victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. He was placed on injured reserve on November 26, 2022.[13] He was activated from injured reserve on January 6, 2023.[14]
References
- ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Christian Benford, Cornerback, Villanova Wildcats". SI.com. April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ^ Dunn, Katherine (March 1, 2018). "Team Maryland roster announced for 61st annual Big 33 Football Classic". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
- ^ "Defensive back Christian Benford commits to Villanova Football". VUHoops.com. SB Nation. July 18, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ^ Sharp, Corey (April 4, 2019). "Villanova spring football practice notes: Christian Benford anxious to be 'spectacular,' quarterbacks compete". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ^ Small, Tyler (September 16, 2021). "Villanova DB Christian Benford leading from the back of Wildcats' opportunistic defense". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ "Benford has big hand in Villanova's first spring football win". Delaware County Daily Times. March 6, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ Toohey, Terry (September 16, 2021). "Hard work has paid off for Villanova cornerback Christian Benford". Delaware County Daily Times. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ^ Toohey, Terry (December 24, 2021). "Forrest Rhyne continues to pile up honors, tops list of Villanova All-Americans". Delaware County Daily Times. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Draft Scout Christian Benford, Villanova NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- ^ Skurski, Jay (April 30, 2022). "Five things to know about Villanova cornerback Christian Benford, the second of three Bills' sixth-round picks". Buffalo News. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ Talbot, Ryan (September 12, 2022). "Bills' Christian Benford reveals when he found out he would be starting vs. Rams". Syracuse.com. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- ^ Simmons, Myles (September 26, 2022). "Report: Christian Benford suffered fractured hand". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- ^ @BuffaloBills (November 26, 2022). "We've signed CB Xavier Rhodes from the practice squad and placed CB Christian Benford on IR. #BillsMafia" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Dimmitt, Zach (January 6, 2023). "Bills Officially Place Damar Hamlin on Injured Reserve". SI.com. Retrieved January 6, 2023.