Christian Benford

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Christian Benford
No. 47 – Buffalo Bills
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (2000-09-21) September 21, 2000 (age 23)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school:Randallstown
(Randallstown, Maryland)
College:Villanova (2018–2021)
NFL draft:2022 / Round: 6 / Pick: 185
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team FCS All-American (2021)
  • CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year (2018)
  • 2× First team All-CAA (2020, 2021)
  • Third team All-CAA (2018)
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles:78
Forced fumbles:2
Fumble recoveries:1
Pass deflections:15
Interceptions:3
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

Pre-draft measurables
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[edit]

  1. ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Christian Benford, Cornerback, Villanova Wildcats". SI.com. April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  2. ^ Dunn, Katherine (March 1, 2018). "Team Maryland roster announced for 61st annual Big 33 Football Classic". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  3. ^ "Defensive back Christian Benford commits to Villanova Football". VUHoops.com. SB Nation. July 18, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  4. ^ Sharp, Corey (April 4, 2019). "Villanova spring football practice notes: Christian Benford anxious to be 'spectacular,' quarterbacks compete". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  5. ^ Small, Tyler (September 16, 2021). "Villanova DB Christian Benford leading from the back of Wildcats' opportunistic defense". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  6. ^ "Benford has big hand in Villanova's first spring football win". Delaware County Daily Times. March 6, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  7. ^ Toohey, Terry (September 16, 2021). "Hard work has paid off for Villanova cornerback Christian Benford". Delaware County Daily Times. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "2022 Draft Scout Christian Benford, Villanova NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Simmons, Myles (September 26, 2022). "Report: Christian Benford suffered fractured hand". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  13. ^ @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.
  14. ^ Dimmitt, Zach (January 6, 2023). "Bills Officially Place Damar Hamlin on Injured Reserve". SI.com. Retrieved January 6, 2023.

External links[edit]

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